


You Will Find Me in a World of Black and White

by sea0fseren1ty



Series: Black and White [1]
Category: Kalyeserye (TV), Real Person Fiction
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Kalyeserye AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-10
Updated: 2017-02-28
Packaged: 2018-07-22 12:56:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 53,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7440172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sea0fseren1ty/pseuds/sea0fseren1ty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a world where soulmates exist, what happens when actor Alden Richards <i>(status: with an unidentified soulmate)</i> meets Dubsmash sensation, Maine Mendoza <i>(status: unknown)</i> on the noontime variety show, Eat Bulaga? (a.k.a the story of a phenomenon with a twist of magical realism)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. #FFFFFF

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Colors](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1606910) by [Quesarasara](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quesarasara/pseuds/Quesarasara). 



> Disclaimer:  
> The characters of Kalyeserye belong to Jenny Ferre, Eat Bulaga! and TAPE, Inc. I’m just playing in their sandbox.  
> The actors own themselves.
> 
> Additional Notes:
> 
> I don't work in the entertainment industry nor do I have access to the actors. 
> 
> This is an AU. While some events here resemble things that happened, they are twisted to suit my purpose.
> 
> Title is inspired by MM's IG post. 
> 
> Comments are appreciated.
> 
> P.S. If you're in the Sherlock fandom and a Johnlock shipper, do read "Colors". It's an amazing fic.

_2010_

Richard Faulkerson, Jr. has a defective soul-bond. The doctor had a term for his condition but that is the bottom line - something went wrong when he met his soulmate. Instead of finally seeing the world in full color, his color vision comes and goes.

Majority of the population would disagree with his assessment of his condition. For them, Richard is privileged. He is one of the “Lucky 30%” and is able to work in any industry that he chooses. He can fully see the beauty of the world. And he has a soulmate who would unconditionally love and support him.

Of course, if anyone told him that he’s privileged, Richard will just tell them the truth. Seeing color has just added a bunch of problems to those he is currently facing.

Richard’s case is unique. His doctor could not find any literature that mentioned his condition. There are medical cases of people who are born with color blindness and meeting their soulmates does not cure them from it. Richard’s retina is perfect. After three months of tests and consultations, his doctor concluded that the only way to fully diagnose him is to find out the effects of the bond to his soulmate. 

“Hopeless then”. Richard concluded.

“Don’t be -”

“Doc, there are 93 million people in this country and over 6 billion people in the world. How am I supposed to find that person again?”


	2. #36454F

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I don't own the characters. 
> 
> This chapter has character death due to illness (nothing graphic, promise) and a brief mention of suicide.

Richard’s parents were soul-bonded. He and his siblings grew up in a home filled with laughter and hope. Their favorite bedtime story was the story his parents’ first meeting. His father always said that his world changed the instant he met his mother’s eyes.

 

As a boy, Richard thought the world looked sad and dreary. He wanted to meet his soulmate soon so he could see the world as his parents see it. When he mentioned this to his mother, his mother told him that there is always beauty in the world even if all you can see are shades of black, white and grey. She said that Richard and his siblings might not yet see colors but they can still feel them. She taught them how to see colors the way her own parents (who were not soulmates but lived happy lives) taught her.

 

His mother also taught them to treasure every meeting. When you meet someone new, she told them to look at this person in the eye. Most of the time, these people will not be your soulmate but that doesn’t mean that they will not change your life.

 

At school, he learned how science explained the concept of soulmates. The retina of one’s eye carries a special cell that only gets triggered to function when you meet the eye of your soulmate. Everyone has that cell but only some would be able to trigger it. Scientists also thought that genetics play a role. Some races are more predisposed to meeting their soulmates. 

 

When he mentioned that particular science lesson to his father, he just laughed. He told Richard that he shouldn’t really search for a rational explanation for soulmates. His father said that he believes that people meet their soulmates when they really need them. 

 

One day, his mother suddenly collapsed. They took her to the hospital where she was diagnosed with severe pneumonia. They thought that their mother would soon recover but she got worst and spent days in and out of the hospital. After several tests, the doctors said his mother has cancer.

 

Still, Richard didn’t lose faith. He believed his mother can still recover.

 

Death came knocking several months later and Richard’s family witnessed first-hand what happens to someone who lost their soulmate. He will never forget his father’s quiet, “They’re gone…” before they received the phone call from the hospital.

 

At the sight of his wife’s body, Richard’s Dad collapsed and slipped into a coma. The doctors thought his father would die too. He woke up the next day but it was quite obvious that he has changed. He lost the spark in his eyes. He barely speaks.  They couldn't get any answers regarding what he wanted for the funeral. So, Richard’s older brother together with his grandmother handled the arrangements. Richard and his younger sister met with a doctor from the hospital who told them to immediately contact the Health Department hotline for broken bonds. He also told them to watch his Dad closely. The incidents of suicide for bonded pairs is higher than the average.

 

His mother’s death changed his father. He sunk into depression. Richard followed the doctor’s advice and called the hotline. They gave him a list of counselors who specialize in recovering from broken bonds. Unfortunately, all of them have offices in Manila and his Dad only leaves the house to visit his Mom’s grave. 

 

Aside from trying to help their father deal with grief, Richard and his siblings also faced the difficult task of sorting out their family’s finances. Money has always been tight for them but they somehow managed. His mother's illness depleted the family's meager savings and added debt. His father still unemployed, having resigned from his job when his wife's condition worsened.

 

The situation got worse and a month after his mother’s death, Richard and his siblings finally asked for help from their relatives. Their grandmother staged an intervention for his Dad. She convinced him to finally see a grief counselor. Their relatives also helped them raise funds so they could pay some of their debts. 

 

Richard knew they couldn't impose on their relatives’ generosity forever. They too have their own families to consider. When his father started going to therapy, Richard also started finding ways to fulfill the promise he made at his mother's funeral.

 

Richard’s mother has always wanted his son to become an actor. She would always try to convince her second son to join contests. She would proudly tell people that her son has the looks and the talent to make it big.

 

At his Mom’s funeral, he promised to continue that dream.

 

He joined pageants. He went to countless auditions.

 

Almost two years after his Mom’s death,  Richard has gained some recognition by doing a few modeling jobs. He even landed on Candy magazine's list of "cuties" and was now invited to the magazine’s annual Candy Fair. Richard hoped that the event would open more doors for him. 

The 2010 Candy Fair was uneventful and Richard went home preoccupied. He heard that there would be a reality show audition in the next few months and he was thinking of rearranging his class schedule so he could go to the audition.

  
He didn’t think he would wake up the day after the event to seeing a colored picture of his Mom on his bedside table amidst his monochrome bedroom. 


	3. #91A3B0

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a difficult chapter to write. 
> 
> This chapter is mostly world-building. Alden’s career path and the entertainment industry in general are bit different.
> 
> Again, I don’t work in the entertainment business. Everything comes from my imagination.

The entertainment industry, like other creative fields, employ a lot of people with color vision. Each production has at least a "color consultant", who makes sure that the overall look of the show, film, commercial or video is right. Big productions would usually prefer to have people with color vision on important positions - directors, editors, visual effects supervisors, cinematographers, etc.

For actors having color vision is more of a hindrance. Film studios and television networks around the world have “color vision incidents” - actors leaving the shoot to look for their soulmate (looking for your soulmate is a right and actors can take a leave for it but when that leave lasts for months, the producers are left hanging), actors collapsing in the middle of the shoot because their soulmate had an accident, and actors getting into scandals because of their soulmates. And in most cases, these incidents would result into lawsuits and bankruptcy (for both parties).

So, to protect the interests of everyone in the business, actors are required to wear “color inhibitors”.

Seventy years ago, color inhibitors were invented by the US military to help soldiers stay focused on their missions. These inhibitors can temporarily restore black and white vision to someone who can now see color. They also suppress the cell that is triggered when two soulmates meet. Once they were proven to cause minimal side effects (after numerous failed trials resulting to the permanent loss of a person’s color vision), the use of these inhibitors spread to other fields - medicine, aeronautics, and even entertainment. The practice was adopted by most countries around the world.

Usually, these inhibitors come in the form of contact lenses. Actors are usually required to wear them while they’re working. Of course, not all actors follow this rule so the entertainment industry added very strict penalty clauses to the contracts of actors with color vision who opt not to wear these inhibitors.

When Richard landed his first acting job (a part in an afternoon TV series), he was asked to about his color status. He did submit a medical abstract from his doctor as part of his paperwork. They didn’t understand.

 

“Does this mean you have a soulmate?” a representative from the talent management agency asked.

“Yes, sir but I don’t know who she is.”

“So you have color vision?”

“Sometimes, sir. And usually it’s not full color vision.” Richard has been trying to explain his situation for the past 20 minutes. And failing.

“What do you mean?”

“Sir, I can see the colors around the room and your clothes but that can change tomorrow or in a few minutes.”

“So what does that mean, exactly? Your soulmate is what, a daredevil? Someone who risks her life on a daily basis?”

 Richard was surprised. He never thought that his condition is a result of his soulmate’s _job._

“Umm… I don’t know, sir. As I’ve said, I don’t know who she is. I received my color vision a day after attending a big event.”

“Ah. I’m not really interested in who your soulmate is. I just need to know one thing. Are you going to wear the contacts?”

“I won’t, sir. I’m used to losing the vision.” Actually, Richard’s doctor is worried about the possible effects of the long-term use of color inhibitors so he advised Richard to not wear the contact lenses if they will allow him.

“Okay. If you say so. We’ll process your paperwork then. The initial contract is for 3 months, subject to renewal.”

 

Actors are usually managed by a talent management agency that’s affiliated to a specific television network and or film company. This set-up encourages rivalries and competitions not only between actors and talents from rival networks but also within the allied management agencies.

Once he signed his contract and chosen a screen name _(Alden Richards)_ , he was sent to an acting workshop with his co-stars.  It was a grueling week. The director had each actor portray different kinds of characters, the last one being someone who lost his soulmate in a car accident because of his carelessness.

 A week after the workshop, he was called for another workshop. Their acting workshop director was there along with two other people.

 "Alden, this is Iris and Peter. They will give you comments on your acting skills. Are you ready?"

 He nodded. He received a brief yesterday. The brief contained the name of a character, his background and a scene.

  _"Action!"_

 After doing the scene, he was asked to step outside. They told him they need to discuss his performance.

 After 10 minutes. They asked him to come back.

 "Congratulations, Alden. You’ve got the part." Iris said while shaking his hand.

"What part?"

"We should explain. Iris and I are doing a film called _Blue Light_ _._ We’ve been looking for someone to play the young Nick. And you nailed the character." Peter said.

"Direk, this was an audition?"

"Yes. It’s the final audition. Actually, I told them about the scenes you did for the workshop. I thought you will be perfect for the role. And I was right!

"Does this mean--"

"Yes. You just landed your first movie role."

 

His part for the movie took several days to shoot. He played the younger version of the character in some flashback scenes. To prepare for that, he sat down with the lead of the movie and talked about their character. He learned a lot from working with veteran actor, Mark Gil.

 _Blue Light_ earned critical acclaim but not commercial success. The producers submitted the show to the Tokyo International Film Festival. Critics also took note of the performance of an unknown actor, Alden Richards.

Richard’s performance the TV series and the praises he received for the film placed him under the eye of his management. They thought he could be the network’s next dramatic actor. They sent him to more acting workshops and gave him roles that are usually meant for older actors.

For the next couple of years, Richard’s characters would always end up in a tragic situation - insanity, amnesia, physical disability, death. As a result, he acquired a reputation of being broody, cynical and serious. That’s only partly true. He only appears to be constantly brooding because he worries about his family and their needs. They have already paid all of their debts but Richard wants to secure his family’s future. He doesn’t want his family to experience that again. And now that he has the means to help his family, he will do so until he couldn’t anymore.

Sometimes, some of his peers would try to include him in their social circles. They would invite him to go with them. He would usually say yes if it’s an invitation to climb a mountain. Richard found out that mountain climbing relaxes him. Plus there is something satisfying to conquering a mountain (the view is spectacular especially when he can see the myriad of hues that color the sky when the sun rises.)

After playing a string of tragic characters, his management decided to change his image. By this point, he has finally grown into his looks - taller than average height, fair skin, chiseled face, dark expressive eyes, lean body and a dimple on his left cheek that would only be seen when he gives a rare smile. His management now wanted to present him as a leading man. So, they started to give him lead roles on romantic dramas.

Filipinos are romantic. They believe in soulmates and destiny. They also believe in love surviving against all odds and of finding genuine happiness with someone even if that someone is not your soulmate.

This characteristic of Filipinos is the reason why romance is the preferred genre of local films. It’s also the subject of sure drama hits on TV.

The television network Richard’s management team is affiliated to produces a weekly drama anthology series called _Color my World_ that feature "soulmate stories". His first role as a lead was for an episode of the show. He played a guy who met his soulmate at a festival. The episode focuses on Richard’s character, Mike, as he searched for Lia around the Philippines.

For this show, Richard was paired with Louise delos Reyes, his co-star on his first TV series. The producers of _Color my World_ saw their old series and thought they have a connection. Viewership for their episode was okay but management wanted to see how Richard would fare with another partner. So, they let him attend another set of workshops and had him screen test with a few of the network’s young actresses.

He then worked with different actresses in a couple of drama series.  

Richard found romance a harder genre to act in. He understands the emotions needed for a romantic scene but he could not fully grasp them. His directors don’t complain and ratings of the show are okay but he knew he could have done more for those parts. He thinks he is turning into a cynic when it comes to love and relationships. He hasn’t given his soulmate a thought in years and has put searching for her at the back of his mind. When he entered the entertainment industry, he decided to prioritize his career. He considered relationships as distractions (and once women find out about his color vision, most would leave him alone).  

While Richard has stopped looking for his soulmate, his father didn’t. His father has slowly moved forward and has been coping with the lost of his color vision well (the loss of his wife is another matter and there are still days where Richard would see his father just staring into space and crying). He has taken it upon himself to help Richard find his soulmate. Sometimes, he would send Richard links to “find your soulmate” websites with messages similar to,   _“This woman went to the Candy Fair in 2010. Maybe that’s her…”_   

Richard usually ignored these messages. He is sure that none of those stories matches his.

There are days though that he wished he knew who his soulmate was if only so they could sort through this "soulmate business" together and maybe find happiness (with each other or apart). For Richard knew that while he is content and grateful for the blessings he received these past few years, he isn’t happy. The last time he felt genuinely happy was the day he saw his mother smile for the last time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Blue Light is from _Ao no Hono_ (The Blue Flame or The Blue Light), a Japanese film released in 2003 and directed by Yukio Ninagawa. This film is about a high school student, Shuichi Kushimori, who found a way to get rid of his stepfather. This movie was shown at the Cannes Film Festival in 2013 (details from Wikipedia).
> 
> 2. _"Direk"_ is how movie and TV directors are usually addressed.


	4. #848482

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I don’t have any knowledge about the inner workings of the entertainment industry. Everything that is depicted below is a product of my overactive mind. 
> 
> Remember, this is an AU. I twisted things to fit the rules of my world.
> 
> Standard disclaimers apply. I don’t own the rights to Eat Bulaga. The actors own themselves.

Richard Faulkerson Jr,  now more known by his screen name, Alden Richards, is resigned to his fate. 

He has accepted that his acting career is on a plateau. While his home network considers him a prized talent, the management does not know what to do with him. After romance dramas, they asked him to be part of a Sunday variety show where he occasionally hosts, sings (they found out he could carry a tune when he played a singer in one of his movies) and dances (needs more practice).

“It’s because you have the looks of a matinee idol and the talent and portfolio of an indie film actor,” his manager bluntly said in one of their meetings. “They are hoping that you will be more of an “all-around” talent so you can be groomed to become the primetime “king”.”

“Jack of all trades, master of none?”

“Good actors are versatile and that they can make people suspend their disbelief. Let’s face it, you can play a convincing serial killer or a terminally-ill person. But when you are charming your co-star, there is a certain awkwardness to it. It’s not very noticeable but it’s there.  And a lot of people would prefer seeing you charm a woman with your smile.”

In past few months, the management thought of letting him go back to his favorite genres - drama and suspense. However several independent film projects lined up for him fell through and he found himself having a relatively light schedule for the first time in his career. He welcomed the change in pace. He was able to spend more time with his family. He climbed mountains and went off-roading. His father was even able to convince him to start searching for his soulmate.

“Dad, why are you optimistic? I don’t even believe that I will find her again. It’s been five years.” Richard said after another failure (thrice in as many months).

"You will find her again. If you are not destined to find her again, why is the bond incomplete? That will bring both of you back."

Richard didn’t answer his father. His thoughts were jumbled.  _ If she also has an incomplete bond, why didn’t she search for me? _

To clear his head, he went to visit his mother’s grave.

On his way back, his manager called him with some news.

 

***

"Relax, RJ. You’ve guested on this show before (more than once) and you’ve already been introduced to most of the hosts of the show."

Alden was sitting inside his car that was parked in front of the artist entrance of Broadway Centrum. His personal assistant, Mama Ten, was already outside waiting for him to pull himself together. He was nervous, terrified, even.

The phone call he received a few weeks ago was from his manager telling him that he will become the latest guest co-host of _Eat Bulaga!_ , the longest noontime variety show in the country. His manager also let it slip that his hosting stint was a favor granted by _Eat Bulaga’s_ producer to his home network’s president. The management thought appearing on a daily show would expand his fanbase. _Eat Bulaga_ , while not the most watched show on its timeslot, still has a loyal following. The show would not have stayed on air for the past 35 years otherwise.

Richard looked at his watch. 9:45 am. His briefing starts at 10. He took another deep breath, uttered a quick prayer and opened the door.

His first day on the show went well. He managed to host his assigned segment with minimal mistakes. His co-hosts, DJ Sam YG and Julia Clarete, made it easier.

Richard is not a total newbie when it comes to hosting. He has been regularly appearing on the Sunday noontime variety show of the network along with his fellow talents. However, he is still inexperienced compared to the Dabarkads, as the hosts of Eat Bulaga are collectively called.

The challenge of joining a show like _Eat Bulaga_ is finding your place in the established show dynamic. The Dabarkads work as a seamless unit. They can banter without any idiot boards. They can ad-lib their spiels and their timing when it comes to jokes is impeccable.

He has been on the show for a few weeks when he was asked to stay after the show finished its broadcast. He thought it was about the production number he was going to do for next Saturday’s show. So, his jaw dropped when he saw who were sitting inside the hosts’ room - TVJ: Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto and Joey de Leon a.k.a the pillars of _Eat Bulaga_.

"Good afternoon, Tito Sen, Bossing and Tito Joey." he politely addressed the three.

“Sit down, Alden.” Tito Sotto said.

Richard took his seat. He was worried about this meeting. And confused.

“Alden, you must be wondering why we are here. We just want to talk about things and ask you a few questions.” Vic Sotto explained.

The “interview” (Richard can only think about it as such) lasted for about 45 minutes. They asked him questions about his favorites, his acting experience, his home life and how he finds the show. At the end, they asked him to crack a joke (his punchline failed).

The next day co-host Pauleen Luna caught him alone in the break room. She sat next to him and asked, “How was your first  _ ‘Thursdays with TVJ’ _ ?”

Pauleen smiled. “They do that for all of the newbies of the show. It’s their way of mentoring. They want you to be comfortable and they want to make sure that you are not having any issues with the show or with any of us. They’ve been in this business for so long, they’ve seen, heard and did a lot of things so you can talk to them about everything. And they will keep anything you say confidential unless you give them permission to reveal it.”

“They do it even for temporary hosts?”

“Yes. They are hoping that every Dabarkad who leaves the show will learn something from their stay. So, how was it?”

“I don’t know. I was so nervous during the conversation that I only gave one word answers to their questions. And I couldn’t really think of a joke.”

Pauleen chuckled. “Of course, they’ll go for the joke. Don’t worry so much, Alden, you’ll learn how these things work in no time.”

His next _“Thursdays with TVJ”_ meeting went better than the first. It helped that he now knew what to expect. This time, he had a one-on-one session with Bossing. They talked about their hobbies and Bossing offered to teach him how to play golf.

Richard has been learning a lot not just from TVJ but also from the other Dabarkads. He got hosting tips from Julia, Sam, Pauleen, Ryan Agoncillo and Pia Guanio.  From Allan K and Ruby Rodriguez,  he slowly learned how to navigate the inside jokes of the show (he still cannot exchange banter with TVJ, they are too intimidating).

Richard realized that the Dabarkads of _Eat Bulaga_ treat each other as family. They look after one another. They give each other advice. They ask each other for advice. They help each other out.

Before he knew it, he started to loosen up. He was able to smile more on screen (to the delight of the studio audience).

_ I will miss the camaraderie on this show once my contract ends. I wonder if I can ask for an extension. Or maybe ask if they can allow me to occasionally host the show. _

The question on his color status came during his last  _ "Thursdays with TVJ" _ before he has to leave for the US for a series of Independence Day-related shows. 

After the usual chat about his concerns and his attempt at a knock-knock joke ( _ getting there _ , according to Bossing), Joey de Leon asked if he could settle something for them.

"You see, Alden we’ve been observing you these past two months and we’ve seen conflicting things…" Joey started.

"The others noticed it too, particularly Ryan and Ruby." Tito Sen continued.

"So we decided to ask you about it. We didn’t want to go behind your back and ask Mr T and Malou.."

After that statement from Bossing, Richard finally had an idea of what they want to ask. He still waited for the question.

"Your color vision is a little... off, right?" Bossing finally said.

He did not expect the question to be asked that way.

"How did--"

"That you can see colors? You pick clothes like you can see the colors. Usually, monochrome vision people stray towards patterns and textures when choosing clothes. You usually go for clothes in solid colors - blue, red, white and black. Seeing as that’s how most of us dress, it becomes obvious." Tito Sen said.

“Then there was that time when Baste knocked out the boxes containing the numbers we use for picking studio contestants. You quickly returned them to their respective boxes without asking the staff how to arrange them. You grouped them according to color." Richard remembered that incident. It was reflex to group the numbers by color instead of asking the staff about the number ranges per box. Though he slowed down when he had to separate the green and yellow numbers. They looked similar that day.

"We know you can see color. However,  there are days when you would stare at something and do a double take. Sometimes you even have this exasperated look on your face. So, we think that you might not see all colors."

Richard didn’t know what to say. On one hand, he’s amazed at how they learned his quirks in such a short period of time. On the other hand, he’s not sure if he is ready to talk about it. He thought TVJ should hear it from him and not read it from a medical abstract.

"My situation is… complicated. And I want to explain it but I don’t think I can yet. Let’s just say that I have partial color vision.”

“Hmm... it looks like you have quite the soulmate story.” Joey said. “Whenever you’re ready. We’ll be here to listen. Each of us knows how it is to experience a complicated situation with our soulmates." Vic and Tito nod.

 

***

Richard was looking forward to his trip to the US. He was to take part in the Philippine Independence Day celebrations in Washington and California. His drama show,  _ Ilustrado _ , has just finished airing in the States and the organizers thought it was fitting to have the actor who played Jose Rizal as guest.

The mini-series was Richard’s biggest television project. It was produced by the public affairs department of the network and explored Rizal’s years in Europe and his relationships with his fellow ilustrados and with women. The show had mixed reviews. The show gives a different view of Rizal but its historical accuracy was called into question. One big debate was Rizal’s color status. Some say he had color vision before going to Europe and his soulmate was Leonor Rivera. Some say his soulmate was Josephine Bracken. The show chose to be vague in that aspect (he was thankful for that; he still has troubles doing “soulmates meeting” scenes) and had scenes that can be used to argue for either side.

After his work commitments, he took time off to travel around and visit some of his relatives.

The visit was interesting. Apparently, his father has roped their relatives into helping him find his soulmate (or at least a girl, his Tita explained). They kept on taking him to places and introducing him to people though he didn’t take his relatives’ matchmaking attempts seriously.

At the end of his trip, he felt relaxed and less worried about his future. _ I feel that everything will turn out okay. _

A few days later, he was back on _Eat Bulaga_.


	5. #AA98A9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everything is from my imagination. 
> 
> Standard disclaimers apply.
> 
> Edited on 07.29.2016

_July 4, 2015_

 

Richard was inside the hosts’ room getting ready to leave for some last-minute rehearsals when Allan K and Ruby came in.

“Any guesses on who is Wally playing today?” Ruby asked.

Wally Bayola is one of the Dabarkads assigned to the barangay for _Eat Bulaga’s_ _“Juan for All, All for Juan”_ segment. Since Richard started in the show, he has been playing a character called, “Dra. Dora de Explorer”. She gives out medical advice to the people at the barangay. He remembered the conversation he had with Wally when he was assigned to the barangay for the day. Wally said the writers think it’s time for a change since the routine is getting stale.

"I don’t know but Wally did mention they’ll also introduce someone new." Allan K said.

Allan and Ruby noticed him. "Alden, you were at the barangay last week. Did they mention this?" Ruby asked.

"Kuya Wally mentioned auditions but he didn’t elaborate." He still feels awkward around the Dabarkads of the barangay (Wally, Jose Manalo and Paolo Ballesteros). He has less opportunities to work with them so he is still not sure how to talk to them. To be fair, they tried to make him feel comfortable when he was assigned there. And they were friendly. He was still intimidated by Wally and Jose.

"Auditions? Jenny did mention something about viral videos…" Allan continued.

Richard made his excuses and left the hosts’ room. The last thing he heard was "Dubsmash".

After his grueling dance number for the show’s _Bulaga pa More, Hip Hop pa More_ segment (he still can’t believed he pulled that off), Richard slumped on the sofa inside the hosts’ room. He was trying to choose between eating lunch or resting for a few minutes when he again overhead the other hosts speculate on Wally’s new character. On the monitor, _Juan for All and All for One_ has just started and the studio panel (consisting of TVJ and Allan K) has just given the cue for the live barangay feed.

His curiosity was now piqued too.

When the car horns beeped, he didn’t expect the white limo nor the red carpet (Bossing even blurted out the color of the carpet, something he doesn’t usually do). The camera then showed Wally’s torso (also in red) but when the limo door opened, feet that were too dainty to be Wally’s stepped out of the vehicle. She was also dressed in white. At that point, Richard’s color vision started to turn grey on the edges. By the time she puts on an apron and assists a cross-dressing Wally out, he lost all color. But that didn’t stop the feeling of familiarity the woman evoked. _I’ve seen her before._

 _"My name is Dona Nidora Esperanza Zobeyala vda. de Explorer."_ Wally said on the screen. Laughter can be heard in both the studio and the hosts’ room. Richard has always been impressed by Wally’s chameleon-like skills. When he is in costume, his personality disappears.

Richard turned his attention to the woman with Wally. From what he can see whenever the camera captures her on the frame, she has an expression of superiority, and is trying not to respond to the comments Jose, Paolo and the studio panel are making in response to Wally’s introduction. Richard tried to get a closer view without being too obvious. He really thought he has seen her before. The only question is _where_.

The other Dabarkads have apparently the same thought. He can hear Pauleen and Pia discussing her under their breaths.

On screen Paolo is now asking about Lola Nidora’s companion.

_"I would like to introduce to you my yaya, Yaya Dub."_

_Dub._ The word triggered a memory of a boring night made brighter by a girl with the most expressive face doing best Dubsmash compilation ever.  He smiled. _She's that girl_ _._

His thoughts were confirmed when, after Lola Nidora’s introduction, "Yaya Dub" started to Dubsmash her snooty responses to the questions thrown by Jose and Paolo. Richard took out his phone and looked for her videos. He has them bookmarked. _Maine Mendoza._

"Maine who?" A voice asked from Richard’s left. He didn’t realize he said her name out loud. He nodded towards the screen and answered Ruby.

"Maine Mendoza. That’s her."

"And how did you know?" Pauleen asked.

He hoped his ears were not red. The way Pauleen looked at him when she asked the question is… suspicious.

"I recognized her when she Dubsmashed. Her videos are viral."

After seeing Pauleen accept his explanation, he turned his attention to the monitor to see what else she would do.

At the end of the segment, Richard thought his impression after seeing all her Dubsmash compilations was right. _She is one talented girl._

After the show, he struck a conversation with the writers about the segment he will be hosting on Monday. Eat Bulaga revived their “Mr. Pogi” segment (a pageant for men) and reformatted it to “That’s my Bae”. This new version is more of a search for good looking guys who can dance. And because people now call him _“Pambansang Bae”_ , he gets to host the segment (even if he thinks his dance moves are not that great). He wanted to clarify the “sub-segments” they mentioned during the briefing. They told him that nothing is final about those sub-segments. The writers want to see the actual flow of the segment before adding something to it. After his impromptu meeting, he prepared to leave. He had nothing scheduled after so he planned on just hanging out with his family for the rest of the day.

On his way out, he kept his eyes open for the crew from the barangay. He was actually hoping that Maine went back with them. He was disappointed. Only Jose went back to Broadway that day.

Next Monday, Richard went to Broadway with an extra bounce on his step. His assistant, Mama Ten noticed and commented on it. Richard explained it as being nervous for his new hosting assignment.

Mama Ten gave him an incredulous look. “It’s not just nerves. Admit it, you’re also excited. And it has something to do with those videos you kept on watching on our way here.”

Richard did not reply. He knew he was busted. He couldn’t really fool Mama Ten. _Yes. I am looking forward to Juan for All, All for Juan._

 ***

He paid close attention to every _Juan for All_ segment that week. If his co-hosts noticed his increases attentiveness to the segment, they didn’t comment (he knew once they found out, he will be mercilessly teased). Richard found himself admiring Maine more. She can make a thousand facial expressions.  She was able to stay in character even at the face of Jose’s sharp tongue, Paolo’s deadpan humor and the panel’s random whims (they made her dance to a looped version of Big Bang’s _Fantastic Baby_ on today’s episode _). She’s a trooper._

There’s just one thing bothering Richard whenever he sees Maine onscreen. He has never seen her in full color even on days where he _had_ full color vision. He knows that this could just be a new manifestation of his defective bond but it’s never been like this. There was never a pattern to his color vision. He can have full-color days and monochrome days anytime. But for the past week, his vision constantly changed. Colors kept bleeding in and out.  He was tempted to put on color inhibitors just to stabilize his vision but his doctor’s warning prevailed.

_Maybe it’s my soulmate. Something might be happening to her._

For the first time, he felt worried for his nameless and faceless soulmate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language notes:  
> "Pambansang Bae" - lit. National Bae 
> 
> The Philippine Entertainment industry likes to give actors and actresses titles and _"Pambansang Bae"_ is one of the titles given by the press and the fans to Alden Richards.
> 
> Kuya - lit. older brother
> 
> We use "kuya" to address men who are a bit older.
> 
> Tito - uncle
> 
> If the man is older by a decade or so, we use "tito".
> 
> barangay - smallest administrative unit in the Philippines. Barangays make up towns and cities.
> 
> yaya - someone who takes care of someone else (usually children)


	6. #C0C0C0

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Standard disclaimers apply.
> 
> 8.4.2016 note: I edited the last part.

Thoughts of his soulmate were still on Richard’s mind when he met TVJ the next day.

“I never met her,” he blurted out once he was inside the room.

“Met who?” Tito asked.

Richard paced. “My soulmate. I don’t know who she is. I can’t remember what she looks like. Everything was an accident and I didn’t see colors until the next day. And now my vision’s gone haywire.”

“Alden, slow down, sit down and start at the beginning.” Vic suggested.

Richard sat down and told them the story of the 2010 Candy Fair and what happened the next day. He explained the effects of the bond and mentioned the diagnosis of his color specialist. He also mentioned what is currently happening to his vision. He felt relieved after telling them his situation. Talking about it was surprisingly therapeutic.

“And you never searched for her?”

“I tried but at that time, meeting her wasn’t really a priority. I wanted to help my family and fulfill the promise I made to my mother.”

“You can’t really blame Alden for giving up. At least you had an idea who you met when you got yours, Jo, and you had a way to contact everyone. He didn’t.” Tito commented.

“I saw colors 12 hours or so after meeting Eileen. And yes, it was at the set of my show so I had a way of contacting everyone who was there that day.” Joey explained. “But I did have a feeling that she’s the one prior to confirming it.”

“You were not wearing color inhibitors, Tito Jo? You were still on set."

“Didn’t think I need it. After a failed marriage or relationship you tend to give up on the idea of soulmates and happy ever after.” Vic nodded at Joey’s answer.

“Variety shows are less stricter in general, “ Tito explained.

Richard wanted to ask more questions but someone knocked on the door. It was Mama Ten reminding him of his next meeting. He looked at his watch. Usually, his conversations with TVJ would last for around an hour. It’s been two hours. If he didn’t leave now, he’ll be late for his meeting with his manager regarding his schedule for the rest of the year (a new show and a movie are in the works).

He opened his mouth to apologize to TVJ but Vic said, “We understand. Go.”

 

_ July 16, 2015 _

 

_ Another day on Eat Bulaga. Another day of watching Maine _ . Watching her has now become Richard's happy pill.

He has just taken a bite of his lunch when Jenny Ferre, Eat Bulaga’s creative head popped into the room and called him.

“Alden, you’re going to take part in today’s  _ Juan for All _ . I need you to sit at the audience area.”

“Okay, Ma’am.”

He might not have questioned Jenny Ferre’s instructions but Richard could not help but think about the possible reasons why they’re asking him to sit in the studio for the segment. He then remembered the seemingly random comments he received from the other hosts this week (most of them involved his smile and aura). And then there are the knowing looks Sam, Julia and Ryan exchanged when Ms. Jenny called him.

_ Oh god. They found out about my little crush on Maine. I’m about to be teased on national TV. _ He knew that was how the Dabarkads show affection. You’ve finally made it into the family if you are the subject of a running joke.

He sat near the floor directors and faced the screens positioned under the “back stage”, a platform that they use when they want to interact with the audience. He asked them if there are specific instructions for him but they only told him to watch the segment.

He has partial color vision today though the feed from the barangay looks dark and grey (suits the weather). Maine and Lola Nidora are on a boat.

Once the boat docked, he saw the color of Maine’s clothes - a printed white blouse and a grey apron. He can also see Lola Nidora’s bright pink hair. Jose and Paolo are still monochrome.

The first time the camera caught his reaction was when she was describing how she is feeling. He was sitting sideways so he didn’t really notice until someone pointed it out. He gave the camera a glance and made a little wave. _I’m not sure if I want her to notice me._

On the sidelines, Richard saw Ms. Jenny gesturing for him to move a little. So he turned to faced the studio.

The next time he saw his smiling face on the screen was when she was Dubsmashing a line about an ugly seatmate (she was standing next to Jose and the line was aimed at him).

The third time he saw his face on the screen was when Maine Dubsmashed a foreign-sounding clip. She missed a few words but she kept on going. He was cheering her on.  _ That’s it. You can do it. _

By that point, the admiration on his face was there for everyone to see and he expected the panel to point it out.

That didn’t happened because the quick eyes of the panel noticed something else.

Maine finally noticed that _he_ was on the other side of the screen. And she was surprised. She was surprised enough to break character.  He caught a glimpse of her smile before she covered it with her fan.

Allan K was the first to say something about it. “Yaya, you’re self-conscious! Alden’s presence is making you self-conscious.”

“Yaya, you’re acting pabebe”. Paolo immediately added.

Maine was obviously embarrassed though she tried to downplay her reaction. Jose, Paolo and the panel continued their teasing. And even if he knew he would just be providing them with additional ammunition, he tried to get her attention. When she looked at his direction again, he raised his eyebrows in acknowledgement. He got another smile for his effort. He waved. She waved back.

Aside from seeing her smile on today’s episode, Richard also learned that Maine is compassionate after seeing her cry at the story of the  _ Juan for All _ winner.  _ I think you have a soft heart, Maine and I want to give you a hug. _

 

Jenny Ferre thanked him for being a good sport after the segment. On his way back to the break room, Richard realized a few of things.

_ When we saw each other on the screen, there was….something. Something that can’t be described by just a word. _

_ I like it when she smiled. _

_ The reason I was asked to watch the segment was to see if Maine will react. The target today was Maine, not me. My secret’s still safe then. _

He was wrong.


	7. #8C92AC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: Again, Kalyeserye is Jenny Ferre’s brainchild. I don’t own the rights to the show and I’m twisting the events of KS to fit my world. 
> 
> And my chapters now have titles. Bonus points to those who will recognize these titles. (I can’t resist the pun) 
> 
> Clue: Chapters titles are hex codes for certain colors.

When he got to Broadway the next day, the  _ Juan for All _ segment writers immediately told him that he will be part of the segment today. Eat Bulaga posted the clip of Yaya Dub’s reaction to his presence on its official Facebook page (he watched it last night) and the said clip received a lot of positive comments. 

“The viewers are hoping for more,” the writers explained.  "And we are sure the viewers are not the only one who are hoping to see more of Maine."

He blushed and touched his ear.  With the amount of ribbing he received yesterday from the Dabarkads, he was pretty sure by now, everyone on the show knew about his crush on Maine.

Still he was a bit nervous before  _ Juan for All _ started.  _ Yes, there was something yesterday but will it still be here today? Or was that a fluke? _

 

Just like yesterday, there were no specific instructions except for  _ react and interact _ .

At first, he just returned Maine’s smiles and pabebe waves. But when Paolo mentioned that Alden also knew how to Dubsmash, he gave a little nod to the floor director, acknowledging the  _ challenge _ . Their studio DJ played,  _ “Twerk It Like Miley” _ . He got up and Dubsmashed the lyrics while making what he hopes are sexy faces to the camera. A few seconds later, Maine did the same thing. Jose even dared Maine to kiss him and she did. Well, they did.

Lola Nidora wasn’t pleased with their antics.

_ “Yaya, act like a traditional Filipina. Stop flirting.” _

That didn’t really stop her. Or him.  _ I hope we will do this tomorrow too. _

 

Near the end of the segment, Ryan and Joey made some announcements.

“Tomorrow will be the grand finals of  _ Bulaga Pa More Ballroom Pa More _ . And it looks like Yaya Dub and Lola Nidora will do a special performance.”

_ Special performance? Does that mean they will be at Broadway today for rehearsals?  _ There was a camera trained on him so Richard quickly made a V sign and pointed it to his eyes and then to the screen. He knew that gesture usually means, “I’m watching you”, but he hoped that Maine interprets it as a request to meet.  _ Or maybe a request to watch them rehearse. _

 

Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to see Maine. He found out after the show that there are no rehearsals today. The number’s short so rehearsals will be done tomorrow morning at the barangay.

On his way to his next scheduled appointment, he saw Maine’s tweet.

> **@mainedcm** Someone pushed me. I almost fell...but the person who was supposed to catch me is at the studio *pabebe wave*

He posted his own tweet in response. He didn’t tag her (too early for that!) but the reference was obvious.

> **@aldenrichards02** Hope you enjoyed today’s episode Dabarkads shout out to… ^_^

 

That night after recording his color status (monochrome with touches of color during Eat Bulaga and then full color vision after the show) on a notebook his doctor insisted that he keeps now that his vision is unstable, Richard decided to watch Maine’s Dubsmashes. He then remembered the comment Paolo made today.

Richard smiled. _I could do THAT._ _Now,_ _what song… Of course. That one._

Five minutes later, he opened his Dubsmash app, chose his song and posted the finished product on Instagram.

He was half-expecting Maine’s reply. He chuckled when he saw her video.  _ Good song choice, RJ. I wonder what’s in store for us tomorrow. Will she finally drop by Broadway so I can finally meet her? _

He was not prepared for the onslaught of notifications. And they didn’t just come from Instagram. He was also tagged on Twitter.  _ My social media accounts have never received this much activity. People are  _ **_that_ ** _ interested in our interactions? _

***

_“Stop it, Yaya. If Alden really likes you, ask him to visit our house to give service as tradition dictates. He hasn’t even talked to me.” Lola Nidora told Maine on Saturday’s episode._

“Was that a hint from Kuya Wally?” Richard wondered.  _ Not Lola but if I ask Ms. Jenny, will she let me go to the barangay for a day? _

He reviewed his schedule. He has another round of meetings with his manager on the offer to be part of a new Sunday variety show. Then he has to visit his doctor to discuss the results of his vision tests.  _ I’ll ask on Monday. _

 

The visit to his doctor put his plans on hold.

“The results of your tests are still the same as your previous ones. Medically, nothing’s changed.”

“Why do I hear a  _ ‘but’ _ on your voice, Doc?”

“Science has never completely explained how soul-bonds work, Richard. I can only make some hypotheses. And with just half the puzzle, my hypotheses are really speculations.” His doctor put down his files and looked at him.

“If you ask me, your vision is changing because something  _ has _ changed. Remember, you are still connected to your soulmate. You said there hasn’t been significant changes to your routine and your life. So, it’s possible that the changes are happening at her end.”

“Changes like...?”

“Anything. Injuries to the eye will affect her vision and yours. Her meeting someone else could affect your bond. She might be unconsciously rejecting you. Her looking for you would also affect your bond. Your change in vision can be a signal. Who knows, she might show up one day at one of your shows.”

“Like, a contestant on Eat Bulaga?” Richard couldn’t really imagine that scenario.  _ But that’s what happened to Tito Joey and Tita Eileen. _

His doctor shrugged. “Anything’s possible. Fate plays tricks.”

“Now, Richard, if you are really serious about finding answers to your condition, I suggest you make an effort to find her too. Your connection goes both ways. You are not the only one affected.”

That made Richard pause.  _ She’s affected too? I’m not the only one suffering from a constant change of vision? _

“I know you gave up on her but try changing your view. Being open to the possibility of meeting your soulmate again might affect you positively.  For now, just continue your color diary. I’ll continue looking through medical journals. You know our drill.”

 

Richard nodded and thanked his doctor. He was settling his bill when the door to his doctor’s office opened.

“What about Maine?”

“Excuse me?”

“Meeting someone new counts as change in my book.”

“I didn’t know you watch Eat Bulaga, Doc.”

“I learn Philippine culture while watching that show. I was surprised when I saw you on it.”

“Actually, we haven’t met. Face-to-face, I mean. I only see her on the other side of the screen.”

“Just on screen? Oh, that’s interesting…”  There was a glazed look on his doctor’s face. He then went back to his office without saying anything else.

_ What does he mean by ‘interesting’? _


	8. #708090

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mentions of pseudo-science and word-building in the end note. 
> 
> Disclaimer: Everything's from my imagination.

_“Be open to the possibility of meeting your soulmate again... You are still connected to your soulmate… Things are changing...”_

His doctor’s words bothered him enough to really give his soulmate more than a passing thought. He spent his Sunday processing things. His mind was full of questions. _What is the effect of this bond to her? I had assumed she can see colors perfectly. What if she can’t too?_

He was so preoccupied by his thoughts that he was only half-listening to the pre-show briefing.

He managed to exchange banter with Sam though he noticed his sudden absent-mindedness.

"Alden, are you okay? You almost missed your cues." Sam asked as soon as _That’s My Bae_ is over.

Richard heard Sam speak but he can’t understand what he said. "What?"

"You’re doing it again. Are you okay?"

"Ah. Fine! I’m fine, Sam. I just have a lot on my mind."

"Does that include the lady you are going to see later on the split screen?" Sam teased. He didn’t get a reaction.

"Wow, Alden. You are really out of it if you didn’t even react to that."

Richard tuned Sam out and began to walk aimlessly backstage. _Say I look for her. How would I even start? And I honestly don’t know what to feel._

 

 _"...Alden? Can you hear me?"_ Richard felt someone tap his shoulder. It was Max, one of the production assistants. _"Are you ready or do you need to run through the sequence again?"_

The word "sequence" brought him back.

"What sequence?"

"Oh god, Sam’s right. Did you read the segment brief Ate Lisa gave you this morning?"

"For _That’s My Bae_?"

"No! _For Juan for All_!"

Richard tried to recall the morning’s events but he can’t remember if there was a briefing for _Juan for All_. "Max, I’m sorry. I had a lot on my mind. I can’t remember if there was."

"What’s gotten into you today?” Max sighed. “I’ll brief you on the way to the hosts’ room."

 

Richard was informed that that for this episode of _Juan for All_ , he had to stay at the break room. Lola Nidora has forbidden Yaya to see him so he won’t appear ‘til later. Jimmy Santos was also part of today’s show.

It was a hilarious episode with Lola Nidora making pabebe faces towards Tito Jimmy (one other highlight was when Lola mispronounced the word, “chewable”, and became “chiwibol”). The panel kept on upping the comedy level by making requests. Bossing even had tears in his eyes from excessive laughter.

While he was agitated and worried before the segment, seeing Maine onscreen calmed him. For half an hour, he forgot about his worries and just enjoyed the wordless banter he shared with her. He even tried making wacky faces by sticking out his tongue towards the camera. And when Maine and Lola put up their fansigns, he wanted to write his own too. He even suggested it to the writers after the show.

 

He was back to worrying that night. His father caught him sitting at their dining table with his laptop open.

"Son, you’ve been looking like something’s bothering you since Sunday. Do you want to share?"

"I think I need to find my soulmate."

His father was surprised and worried. "And what caused this change of heart?"

"Dr. Hatano reminded me that the bond affects her too. Dad, what if the effect on her is much worse? Living with a changing color vision is manageable for me but what if it isn’t for her?"

“RJ, don’t dwell on _‘what ifs’_. You will not accomplish anything if you only think about things that might have or could have happened. You’ve made a choice and if you think you have to make amends because of that choice, then do so. But only after you find the truth. You will just stress yourself out if you think of problems that are not even problems yet.”

“But Dad, I still don’t know how to find her. I went back to the soulmate websites. I also did a general Google search and stalked social media pages. Nothing.”

“Son, if it was easy, you would have found her even during our half-hearted attempts. Remember also that you are not alone. We will all help you. I think even your co-workers at Eat Bulaga will be willing to lend you a hand.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

 

Now that he had a plan, he felt calmer. He went to work in a better state of mind. This time, he paid attention to the briefing. He was told that his interaction with Maine is gaining a following (their names have been trending on Twitter) and people have been trying to come up with a portmanteau for them since Day 1. Suggestions include "YaDen" and "AlYa" but it looks like "AlDub" is starting to become the preferred name. Lola Nidora and Tito Jimmy have a portmanteau too. They are called "LoMmy".

Their segment within _Juan for All_ has started to have structure. Maine impatiently waits for his appearance, he opens with Twerk It Like Miley and then Lola Nidora would try to put a stop to the _flirting_ while flirting with Tito Jimmy. The other elements depended on the reaction of Jose, Paolo and the panel.

If you ask him, Richard would admit that he found the segment within _Juan for All_ easier to do than hosting _That’s My Bae._ Even the unpredictability of Jose, Paolo and the panel and the lack of an actual script were preferable to the poses and lines he has to do as part of the _"Lesson of the Bae"_ where he teaches That’s My Bae contestants how to get a girl’s attention. He still found it difficult to charm people in spite of all the pageants he has joined (and won) and months of being Eat Bulaga’s “bae”. He had to ask Sam or the writers if his pose and delivery are spot on. He has to get the pose and the line _right_ to be effective. _Juan for All_ let him relax and be more of himself. His smiles there were more natural.

"Lommy" was still the focus of today’s episode. They even had Lola Nidora exchange Dubsmashes with Tito Jimmy. Richard was out of camera range trying to control his laughter. Ms. Jenny stood next to him to talk about his cue. She said he will enter (from the men’s toilet; he just knew there would be jokes about it later) once the person currently asking for advice said she learned something from the Dabarkads. “There will be some more songs before Bossing calls the lucky winner for the day,” Ms. Jenny mentioned. “Just go with the flow.”

Going with the flow had him matching Maine’s wacky _“Fantastic Baby”_ dance and then Dubsmashing the lyrics to the rest of the songs they used in the segment and dancing to them too.

 

After the show, Alden met with his _Bulaga Pa More_ team. In celebration of the show’s 36th year, all the Dabarkads (except for TVJ) are competing in a challenge - put up a production number based on one of Eat Bulaga’s iconic segments. The segments were decided by lottery and luckily (or unluckily) he picked _Macho Man/Mr. Pogi/That’s My Bae_. Sam’s at the meeting too. He’s not included in the challenge but he volunteered to support him. They were still brainstorming the concept but they were able to finalize the roles of the team and rehearsal schedule (the practice studios at Broadway are in demand so the rehearsal schedule had to be finalized as soon as possible to block off the needed slots).

He already asked the people who maintained EB’s archive for old clips. He was familiar with Mr. Pogi but Macho Man was something new. So, he went back to the hosts’ room after the meeting to watch the old clips. He was taking down notes when he heard a voice from the doorway.

 

"Alden! I’m surprised you’re still here."

"Kuya Wally! You-- You’re here too!"

"We all went back today. For meetings _._ Paolo already has _Bulaga Pa More_ rehearsals."

 _They all went back to Broadway today?_ "Maine’s _here_?" He quickly stood up and craned his neck to see if Maine’s just outside his range of vision.

"Didn’t you see her? She said she was going to leave the extra cupcakes she baked for the barangay crew in the fridge. There was an extra box."

He shook his head. "No, I would have noticed." _It’s Maine. I would have definitely noticed._

"In that case, Jenny probably intercepted her. They’re going to the TAPE Office for a meeting. Something about her new contract. She was supposed to end last Saturday." Wally explained.

Richard slumped back on his seat. _Another missed chance._

Wally looked at him for a few seconds before smiling. "You’ll get a chance to meet her, Alden. It looks like she’s staying."

 

On _That’s My Bae_ the next day, Richard added his now usual extra to the “a punch to myself” pose. He did a “pabebe wave” after. He was hoping Maine was watching the show at the barangay and would have seen his wave. He didn’t expect to see _her_ at the other side of the screen after delivering his pick-up line. His surprise rendered him speechless so he just waved again. She waved and did the pose too.

_"There would be Trouble. Trouble. Trouble."_

Lola Nidora kept on repeating this line. She had explicitly asked Maine to choose between her and Alden. So when he appeared onscreen for _Juan for All,_ she tried to _not_ pay him any attention. His expression of dismay was mostly an act but he did feel a tinge of disappointment when she first dismissed him. Of course, ignoring him didn’t last and they quickly went back to flirting through songs.

 

Richard met with Jenny Ferre after the show. The meeting included the rest of the writers and production assistants for _Juan For All_.

“Tomorrow marks one week since I asked you, Alden to watch _Juan for All._ I didn’t expect the reaction I got that day from you and Maine. I also didn’t expect the reaction of the audience.” Jenny Ferre said. “So, we are going to turn this into the new sub-segment of _Juan for All._ ” She handed everyone a folder.

Richard opened the folder and read through the brief of the new sub-segment and this part captured his attention:

 

> _…. The story of “Alden” and “Yaya Dub”, star-crossed soulmates_ _and Lola Nidora, the force that stands in their way…._

  
He read that again.  ** _Soulmates_** _?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of world-building (I might transfer these notes to another document if they get too lengthy).
> 
> Dr. Masaki Hatano is Richard’s color specialist. He’s half-Filipino but he was born and raised in Japan. Ten years ago, the WHO sent him to the Philippines to assist in educating doctors who wanted to understand soul-bonds. He also trained some ophthalmologists who wanted to specialize in color vision and soulbonding. After his stint, he applied to become a permanent liaison for the WHO in the Philippines. The Department of Health usually calls him to consult on unusual cases. 
> 
> In the real world, Takumi Hatano is the name of the lead character on the Japanese medical drama, _Last Hope_. He is played by _Masaki Aiba_.


	9. #6082B6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: Standard disclaimers apply. FICTION.

_Soulmates. Yaya Dub and Alden are soulmates._

The brief was clear. In the expanded sub-segment that’s set to occur during the _Problem Solving sub-segment_ , Richard plays “Alden Richards” who wanted to meet Yaya Dub because he wanted to get to know her better. He is hoping that she is his soulmate. Jenny Ferre told him that they can’t change the name of his character anymore since the public had already seen the chemistry between “Alden” and “Yaya Dub” (“AlDub” has started to generate social media buzz).

“Right now, think of it as playing a version of yourself. Your character has more or less the same backstory as your real self. That can change though,” Jenny explained.

That confused him. _If Alden’s a version of myself, then he can’t be Yaya Dub’s soulmate. Unless Ms. Jenny makes him monochrome-visioned._

But before he can ask some clarificatory questions, Jenny continued her explanation. “Now, there would be no script for this. We’ll give you a list of songs to Dubsmash and the flow of the story but I want you to continue what you have been doing. We started with natural reactions. Let’s not change that.”

_A story without a script? Just improvisations? A mixture of reel and real?_

After the meeting, Richard asked Jenny if he could discuss the segment some more. He has his misgivings.

“Your reactions are real. And you are free to improvise. But, there will be a general story arc. You are playing a character and so are Wally and Maine.”

“And are we really going to be soulmates?”

“I still want to see how the people react to the initial story. You could end up either way.  You are soulmates and live happily ever after or you are not soulmates but choose to stay together. Both endings will resonate with the audience."

He knew that the creative head might see his persistent questioning as being uncooperative, impertinent and unprofessional (which can lead to suspension from the show or worse dismissal) but since she is still answering his questions, he tried to make one request. “Could I talk to her about our roles?”

"Not at this point," she bluntly said. "It would be better if your interactions are limited." 

While he doesn’t agree, Richard could see why Jenny doesn’t want them to communicate. _Maine and I are still strangers, just like the characters we portray. All of our reactions will be rawer and the audience will also see our relationship progress almost real-time._

And while he still want to discuss the sub-segment and his new role, he knew he was being dismissed so he said his goodbyes and left the meeting room.

 

He again came to work worried about the expanded segment though he tried to hide it. He listened to the instructions for _That’s My Bae._ He was given a set of notes for their _Juan for All_ sub-segment. He looked at the outline and the title caught his eye.

“Weeksary?” _Has it really been a week?_

“Yes. It’s been a week, Alden. You and Yaya will celebrate it,” Carr, one of the segment writers said.

“It says here, I’ll give her a gift. I don’t have a gift!” He took out his phone to text Mama Ten so he can buy a gift for the weeksary.

"Relax, Alden. We’ve got you covered. The barangay crew already has flowers and chocolates. Someone is going to deliver them during the show."

Someone buying a gift on his behalf didn’t really sit well with him even if it’s just for the show. “Can I take care of the succeeding gifts?” he inquired.

Carr thought about it. “I guess you could.”

Carr then started the briefing.

“Now, Alden let’s go over the notes. You’re going to pretend that you’re pre-occupied at first. She will think you forgot about the weeksary. Then you’ll leave through the artist’s entrance/exit. On the next shot, you will give your gift. Those tasked to deliver will give Yaya the bouquet of roses and chocolates. Lola Nidora will be mad at your gift and will issue a warning. You’re also Dubsmashing a new song today.”

Richard glanced at the paper. _Thinking Out Loud_ by Ed Sheeran.

“I’m familiar with this song,” he confirmed. “I’m not sure if I remember all the lyrics.”

“It doesn’t need to be perfect. Just do what Maine does and improvise,” Carr advised.

 

_“I have a feeling that this will turn into a teleserye,”_ Joey said while watching the events unfold in their new sub-segment.

_I have that feeling too._ Richard thought. _What exactly is Ms. Jenny planning?_

The episode today followed the outline. He pretended to take a phone call while the panel made disparaging comments on his seeming fickle-mindedness.

Richard was glad that there was a window of rest before he had to present the flowers. He almost forgot to take that phone call when he noticed that Maine had her hair down. When he saw her earlier during _That’s My Bae_ (they again showed the feed from the barangay), her hair was braided. He was taken aback at the change in hairstyle and wanted to stare at her some more. He also hoped he can finally see the color of her eyes or her hair (didn’t happen; the only color on Maine was her red polka-dotted apron).

When he showed her the bouquet of roses and the pack of Hany, he thought he saw genuine surprise on her face. _Wonder if Hany’s her favorite..._

Then it was time for some Dubsmash. He was getting into the song, _Thinking Out Loud_ , when Lola Nidora’s face was shown in an extreme close-up. His reaction to that was genuine.

_"May this serve as a warning, Alden. Don’t_ **_mess_ ** _with me.”_

 

He ended up sitting on the stairs of Broadway’s artist entrance at the end of the sub-segment. His thoughts drifted to the meeting yesterday.

_RJ, why are so bothered by the idea that Yaya Dub and Alden are soulmates? They’re characters._

_This is just like your previous roles. Except for the lack of an actual script and an onscreen partner that you can only see, well, on the screen._

He didn’t notice when their segment ended. He just continued sitting on the stairs, brooding. Sam had to get him for the closing segment.

 

That night after reading through several ‘soulmate stories’ on Facebook (no luck on his own search),  he thought he had his answer.

_You’re envious. Yaya Dub and Alden can be soulmates. Their unexpected encounter has a chance to end in "happy ever after". While your own serendipitous meeting has a high possibility of having a bitter ending (even if you find her)._


	10. #A9A9A9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FICTION.
> 
> This is where things start to change...

_“And you think, Yaya, that because Alden sent you flowers, celebrated your weeksary and flirted with you over the split screen, he’s your ‘the one’? Your ‘forever’? Your_ **_soulmate_ **?"

Lola Nidora had been upping her threats. On Friday’s episode, she asked her new bodyguards (all named ‘Rogelio’) to keep Maine inside the van while she went with Paolo to visit the lucky _Juan for All_ winner.

Today, Richard watched on the screen as it was revealed that Lola Nidora and Maine are at the balcony of a house. Lola Nidora seemed to be in a dark mood. She told the Rogelios to guard Maine while she gives out advice to the residents of the barangay with Paolo.

When the panel took pity at Maine’s plight and appealed to Lola Nidora, she continued her tirade.

 _“Soulmate or not, attraction and flirting don’t make a relationship. Sure, they can start it but kilig will not sustain it. There are_ **_other_ ** _factors to consider."_ Lola Nidora stared menacingly at Richard.

 _"I know your secrets, Alden,"_ she continued.

 

_Secrets? What **‘secrets’**? That’s not on my brief! _

 The panel was curious too so they tried to pry.

 _"Not today. I’ll eventually reveal everything at the proper time. For now,_ **_patience_ ** _."_

 

Eventually, Lola Nidora couldn’t stand their Dubsmash exchange anymore (Maine was allowed to leave the second floor balcony to attend to Lola Nidora). She ordered her Rogelios to bring Maine back to the mansion. Richard saw Carr hold an idiot board next to the camera that said, "RUN (after her)".

So he did.

 

After the show, Richard tried to catch TVJ. He checked the break rooms and found all three inside one of them.

"Tito Sen, Bossing, Tito Jo, I know it’s not Thursday but can I talk to you? I promise it won’t take long."

TVJ looked at each other.

"We are all free for the next hour or so. What’s bothering you?" Tito said.

Richard, following his father’s suggestion, told them about Dr. Hatano’s speculations and advice.

“So, now you want to find your soulmate so you could settle your bond?”

“Yes, Bossing, but I still don’t know how I could find her.”

“What can we do to help?” Joey offered.

TVJ started brainstorming. They suggested ways on how Richard can find his missing soulmate. Tito suggested that they submit a request to the National Statistics Office for a list of citizens with color vision who registered in 2010. Vic thought they should talk to the magazine to see if there was CCTV footage of the event or if they had a list of guests.

“Those suggestions are impossible. There is one obvious way that will definitely work,” Joey said.

“Call for a press conference and admit that I’m looking for my soulmate,” Richard stated.

“Exactly. If you do that, I bet you will find her even before the press conference ends.”

“My family suggested that too and it does seem like the best solution.” Richard recalled the lengthy debate that happened last week.

“But if I do that, then our ‘relationship’ will be put under the scrutiny. At this point, I’m not even sure what kind of relationship I want to have with her. Right now, I just want to know who she is and talk to her. I want to know what happened five years ago.”

“I was going to advise you not to do it,” Joey said. “Tito, Vic and I are examples of what can happen if the public knows who your soulmate is.”

“And if Alden admits he is looking for his soulmate, Jenny will resent him and us for ruining her storyline.”

“Speaking of, how are you handling that segment, Alden?” Tito inquired.

“I find it challenging. I’ve never really done anything like this - a series where everything is improvised and the full story is kept from the characters. But I’m having fun. Kuya Wally is awesome and Maine’s good at what she does."

“I think we should give it a proper name,” Joey suggested. “We can’t call it ‘Problem Solving’ anymore. The focus is on the story.”

“Paolo called it a _‘noontime teleserye’_ ,” Tito reminded them.

“A _live_ noontime teleserye.” Vic continued.

“A live noontime teleserye that’s happening on the streets... “ Joey mused. “Let me think about this. The name must be catchy and unique.”

 

***

On Monday, Richard was not expecting to see a feed from the barangay so during his _Lesson of the Bae_ he decided to send a _"you-are-not-going-to-stand-in-my-way"_ smirk to Lola Nidora (he explicitly told the audience it was for her). Of course, that was when they showed Maine reacting to his pose. They exchanged pabebe waves. He would have said something except the camera showed Wally sitting next to Maine while he is getting his makeup done. He was in character. Richard felt embarrassed at his earlier action so he tried to take it back. The feed was cut off before Wally can further react.

_"Paolo, I’m usually a nice person and my objections towards Alden pursuing Yaya come from concern. If you only knew what I now know about him…"_

_I still have no idea what Lola Nidora’s talking about._

Richard tried to fish for information at this morning’s briefing. But the segment writers all told him that Ms. Jenny hasn’t given any instructions regarding this "secret". The secret is literally _a secret_.

 _"Now, I’ve received a lot of harsh comments over the.weekend. Bashers kept on attacking. They kept on telling me to stop meddling. Well, I’ve had_ **_enough_ ** _."_

 _She then took out a book from her bag._ Richard couldn’t make out what kind of book it was at first (he has monochrome vision today). When the camera focused on it, he saw that the book was locked.

"Secret diary?" Tito exclaimed.

_Secret diary? I wrote a diary?_

Lola Nidora explained that Alden’s secrets are mentioned on her diary.

_My secrets are on Lola’s diary?_

But before Lola Nidora opened the diary, two guys on a motorcycle (also known as "riding in tandem") snatched it away. She and Maine gave chase but the riders were quick (didn’t help that the two paused for a selfie).

When they returned, Jose suggested that Yaya Dub should pay attention to other men particularly those who are in the same location. She would instantly know if they are her soulmates. All she needed to do is look at them. He then presented several men from the barangay. She ignored Jose’s suggestion and refused to look at the men. Instead, she Dubsmashed _Titanium_ . Richard replied with his usual _Twerk It Like Miley_.

In her frustration at Maine’s pig-headedness, Lola Nidora again asked her bodyguards to take Maine home. Just like last Saturday’s episode, Maine escaped. Richard wanted to run immediately after her but the cue card told him to sing a few lines of _God Gave Me You_ first. He ran for a few blocks along Valencia Street. After a few minutes the camera man who was following him told him that they need a few more shots from a different angle so he came back and turned right on 1st Street.

He was able to catch the rest of _Juan for All_ once he returned. He saw that Maine’s hair was unbound and that Lola Nidora is still upset at her. Later on, she ordered Maine to return to the van first if she wants to earn her forgiveness.

He also heard Joey use, _“tanghaliserye”_ , to describe their segment. _Tanghaliserye. It’s a clever pun but it doesn’t capture the entirety of the new segment._

  
***

 _"Alden, there’s a slight change to what you are going to do for ‘Kalyeserye’ today."_ Ms. Jenny told him during the commercial gap before _Juan for All_.

Joey finally settled on _‘Kalyeserye’_ as the name of the segment. It’s a portmanteau of sorts for "street" (where half of the show is shot) and "teleserye" (the genre they are trying to parody).

"Follow me."

Richard followed Jenny to the guests’ break room. She knocked and upon hearing a voice say, _"enter"_ ,  opened the door.

"Is it time already?" Celia Rodriguez asked.

"We will start the segment after this commercial gap." Jenny then turned to Alden. "Alden, meet your aunt, Dona Celia Rodriguez vda de Ungasis."

Richard first met the veteran actress on his first day on the set of _Blue Light._ He didn’t have any scenes with her so he wondered if the veteran actress still remembered him when he greeted her before _Eat Bulaga._

_"How are you, Alden? It’s been years."_

She told him that she is an avid viewer of their new segment and she is looking forward to watching it live.

 

"Hello, nephew," Celia Rodriguez said as Richard moved to kiss her hand.

Ms. Jenny then explained the last minute additions to the story. Alden’s aunt would turn out to be Lola Nidora’s childhood rival.

After she left, Richard thanked Celia for agreeing to appear on the show. "I didn’t think twice. I heard that Wally patterned Lola Nidora after me, right?"

"Yes. Kuya Wally said Lola Nidora is a mix of you and Tita Jane."

"Then let us show Lola Nidora what the original can do. This is going to be fun."

  
***

After _Eat Bulaga_ , he attended his first meeting with the cast and crew of the new Sunday variety show, _Sunday PINASaya_. Richard knew he would be working with both old and new faces. He introduced himself to the new crew, caught up with people he has worked with, and made small talk with his new colleagues. After a few minutes, he made way to where Jose and Wally are. He hasn’t seen them around Broadway since Wally dropped by the hosts’ room a week ago.

“Kuya Wally! Kuya Jose!”

“Alden! Why didn’t you warn me? I thought I was going to faint when the Celia Rodriguez appeared.” Wally complained.

“It was last minute, Kuya Wally!”

“But you did manage.” Jose said.

“No thanks to you. Nor to Paolo.”

Jose just chuckled.

“Alden, you owe me one.” Wally said in Lola Nidora’s voice.

Richard looked around and noticed that no one was paying the any attention so he decided to ask the question he has been meaning to ask them. “Kuya Wally, Kuya Jose, about Maine...”

“We won’t guarantee we’ll answer any personal questions about her, Alden.” Jose warned. Wally nodded.

“It’s not personal. Well, it is but not too personal. She seemed to genuinely like the packet of Hany so I want to know if that’s her favorite. ”

“She does like it,” Wally confirmed. “Plus HawHaw and MikMik. She was happy to find a _sari-sari_ store that sells them last week.”

“I see. Thanks, Kuya Wally.” _So, HawHaw and MikMik_ …

“Now, you owe me two favors, Alden.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Regarding the suggestions of Tito and Vic...
> 
> Each country keeps database of their color-visioned citizens. Citizens with color vision enjoy extra benefits like medical assistance (vision/bond-related) and counseling. Access to the database, however, requires a Top Secret level clearance, something that not even a senator like Tito Sotto has. In other words, his suggestion was impossible. Vic’s is too. There were no participant records for the Candy Fair. And even if there were CCTV installed at certain points, the retention policy was just 2 years.


	11. #989898

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes:
> 
> This is where things change...
> 
> Disclaimer: Everything's a figment of my imagination.

_ “I want 50 million pesos for the diary.” _

On Wednesday’s episode, Lola Nidora’s mysterious caller was revealed to be the man who ordered the theft of the diary. He asked for ransom in exchange. And in typical ‘Kalyeserye’ fashion, the phone conversation was a mix of seriousness and hilarity. Richard was thankful he wasn’t on camera when the phone call was aired. He almost choked on the  _ balut _ he was eating when Lola Nidora mentioned the amount being asked  _ before _ the caller spoke. Then the caller made a mistake and asked for 50 thousand. Lola Nidora couldn’t even keep a straight face at that and neither could Richard and the crew with him. After composing herself, Lola addressed the camera.

_ “Alden! This is all your fault! I know  _ **_you_ ** _ are the real mastermind. How dare you ask for 50 million!” _

Richard shook his head to deny the accusation, but she didn’t believe him. She then asked Maine to stand next to her and issued a threat of her own.  _ “If you don’t give me 51 million pesos...”  _ Lola warned, holding Maine tightly.

His eyes conveyed his incredulity.  _ Lola wants  _ **_51 million_ ** _? _

_ “If you won’t give me what I want, you won’t see Yaya Dub  _ **_ever_ ** _ again.” _

The tense atmosphere Lola Nidora managed to create was only broken by the discovery that Wally’s in-ear monitor was stuck inside his ear. As Wally couldn’t totally break character, he broke the fourth wall by admitting that everything is an act and demanded that Jose and Paolo stop laughing so they could help him.

Once that was resolved, Lola was back in character.

_ “Alden, give me 51,000,500.” _

Richard thought Lola made a mistake this time so he made a gesture and mouthed, “Five hundred?”.

_ “The 500 is for my doctor’s consultation fee.” _ Lola Nidora said with a straight face.

He couldn’t help but laugh at that so he veered away from the camera’s view.  _ Kuya Wally, you’re amazing. _

He didn’t linger at Broadway after the show ended. He still had to shop for a weeksary gift that he had to bring back to studio so the barangay crew can bring it to the  _ Juan for All  _ set tomorrow. Mama Ten offered to buy it for him but he wanted to personally pick out the gift.

_ Unfortunately, I don’t know enough about her to personalize the gift. I could buy her some of her favorite candies but that would just be a repeat of last week’s gift. _

The growing popularity of “AlDub” has made Richard more recognizable although he can still go to the mall without the need for bodyguards. He hasn’t been mobbed yet. He wanted to give something that she can keep this time.

“What do you think, Ma? Should I just give her something practical?”

“Son, you’re giving this gift on air, right? Suitors don’t give practical gifts.” Mama Ten advised.

“But stuffed toys are a bit cliché and jewelry is out of the question.”

In the end though, he did settle for something cliché. A pink teddy bear with a pink polka-dot ribbon around its neck (he was thankful that he was able to see some colors that day because there were some strangely colored bears in the store). The bear also has a circular disk tied to the ribbon that said, “ _ To my soulmate.” _ While he admits that the statement’s too forward, Richard thought it would fit Alden’s and Yaya Dub’s story. The back of the disc was empty so he scribbled,  _ "Keep smiling." _

***

_ “The clock’s ticking, Alden. Give me 51,000,500 or you’ll  _ **_never_ ** _ see her again.” _

Lola Nidora’s threat was still on his mind the next day. The outline given to him that morning mentioned that “Alden raised a fraction of the ransom money,” but it was vague on the details. The rest of the document contained a list of songs that they’ll Dubsmash to celebrate AlDub’s second weeksary. There was also an additional note on the bottom of his page. It said that a twist will be introduced later so he has to be prepared to run.

The limousine surprised him, as well as Lola Nidora’s order that Maine should remain inside the car. Since they were not on the screen he asked Reeza, the floor director about the set-up. She just shrugged and said that Direk Pat (the current floor director of the barangay) probably got new instructions.

_ Looks like everything’s okay. Maine is still her usual self. But why do I feel uneasy? _

Another "riding in tandem" delivered his gift (the balloon was a last minute idea; the cake for the barangay is too) and he saw the advantages of Maine staying inside the limo. Lola Nidora won’t be able to intervene easily.

Unfortunately, she’s resourceful. After several hilarious attempts to open the limo doors, she finally ordered the driver to leave.

_ "I told you Alden. Your stubbornness has consequences. Say your goodbyes. This is the  _ **_last_ ** _ time you will be seeing your precious Yaya Dub!" _

Richard felt a bit of fear at those lines.  _ Is Kuya Wally throwing hints? Is she quitting the show? Is that why I feel uneasy? _

For the third time in as many episodes, he went after her.

He encountered a group of men dressed in black. They grabbed him and forcibly pushed him inside the van. He recognized some of them as the bodyguards that _Eat Bulaga_ usually hire. He tried to escape from the van by getting off while it’s slowly moving along Aurora Boulevard to no avail (his “abductors” told him he might get injured so they suggested that he just lean out of the van while they keep him from falling).

The van got stuck in traffic so by the time they managed to get back to Broadway, the segment was over. Richard received a message from the Reeza that he’s not supposed to show up for the announcement of winners for  _ That’s My Bae  _ so he just went back to the break room and met Allan K who was on his way out _. _

“Alden! That was a hilarious and intense episode! I didn’t see that twist.”

“I wasn’t expecting that too, Ms. A”

Allan hit him in the arm. “You’re pulling my leg! But Alden, your smile when you Maine got your weeksary gift… Yiheeee!” Richard received another hit in the arm after that.

After the closing segment, he met with the production team for  _ ‘Kalyeserye’ _ . They told him that he is not supposed to show up for  _ Eat Bulaga  _ tomorrow because he has been “kidnapped” and that they need to shoot some scenes inside one of the storage rooms for tomorrow’s episode. Filming the scenes took an hour. They had him Dubsmash several songs as they didn’t know which one will be used tomorrow.

After filming, he rushed to the dance studio for the  _ Bulaga Pa More  _ rehearsals. Since everyone’s been preparing for the competition, the administration department of TAPE has implemented a strict rehearsal schedule. Priority is given to those performing first (they can use the studios for 4 hours; the others can use it for two). Richard’s already half an hour late and hoped he can catch up on the changes they are implementing for the production number. He found out that Sam’s been substituting for him so they can work out on the blocking.

“Are you sure you don’t want to be part of the entire number, Sam?”

“No. I’m already having trouble with my brief appearance. Now that you’re here, I can practice my own steps.”

After the practice, Sam said, “Enjoy your day off. Julia and I can handle TMB and I promise I won’t say anything about AlDub while you’re not there to defend yourself.”

“How did you know that I’m not here tomorrow?”

“They did the briefing today. Though I kind of figured that would happen for the sake of Kalyeserye’s continuity.”

***

He spent his most of his unexpected day off at home finishing the paperwork his manager sent. First, he reviewed a few presentations. The network’s offering another drama series and they wanted him to look into three that he liked so they could send him the corresponding scripts. So far, he is intrigued by two stories - the good-for-nothing son who vowed to change his ways so he could help his mother who was suffering from depression, and the eccentric quiz show host suffering from memory loss. After looking through those, he read the draft contract for  _ Eat Bulaga  _ (his old one is ending in a month) for the upcoming negotiation.

He took a break to have lunch and watch  _ Eat Bulaga _ . He found it a little strange watching the show at home. In the past four months, when he’s not on the show, he’s usually filming or fulfilling his other commitments. True to his word, Sam didn’t mention anything about AlDub on  _ That’s My Bae _ but during the opening spiel, Ryan, Kempee and Julia talked about the events that happened on  _ Kalyeserye _ .

“Know what I think? If Yaya Dub and Alden end up together, they’ll tell each other  _ ‘AlDub you’ _ ,” Kempee shared.

“AlDub you…” Richard repeated.  _ Will I’ll be able to say that to her someday? _

When Lola Nidora appeared for the episode of  _ Kalyeserye _ , he found out that he wasn’t the only person spending a day off the show.

_ “I’m sorry, Tito but Yaya’s not coming back.” _

“What? But that’s impossible!” Richard knew that someone would have told him if Maine quit.

_ “She’s too stubborn and won’t listen. So, I decided that she won’t accompany me on my trips to the barangay. I ordered her to stay home.” _

“See, RJ? That’s Lola Nidora and not Kuya Wally talking. Stop overanalyzing.” Richard berated himself.

The conversation then switched to his kidnapping. Lola Nidora denied that she’s behind the abduction. Her actions contradicted her words. She kept making phone calls with that ‘I-have-a-secret’ smile on her face. And because there were no lengthy Dubsmash exchanges today,  _ Kalyeserye  _ was able to include the  _ Problem Solving _ portion.

_ “She is a good role model. Instead of looking for her soulmate, she selflessly took care of her parents first.” _ Lola Nidora praised the choices the chosen resident made.

_ “Yaya can’t understand my point of view. Things fall into place at the right time. She will meet her soulmate at the right time. She will enter into a relationship at the right time. And **that time is not now**.”  _ she went on to explain.

The footage Richard shot yesterday interrupted Lola Nidora’s long rant blaming Alden for Yaya’s disappearance (she had to do the  _ Fantastic Baby _ dance that’s done after a resident accepts the advice given). The other side of the screen showed a footage of Maine clutching the bear he gave and looking at his picture.

Their scene triggered another angry tirade.

_ “I’ve been bashed. People think I’m the villain! Well, I’m not. Everything’s in the diary. You’ll understand once we read it. And one more thing, I  _ **_never_ ** _ ordered Alden’s abduction. I didn’t ask Catcho to drive the van with five of my Rogelios and snatch the boy out of Broadway. I didn’t ask them to keep him at a warehouse near the studio!” _

Richard smiled. “Gotcha, Lola.”

The panel knew it too but before they can grill Lola Nidora for details, her phone rang again. Her horrified reaction was the final clue.

_ “This can’t be! You incompetent Rogelios! Why did you let Alden escape?” _

***

For the past few days, Richard has been combing through social media in search of photos and stories about the 2010 Candy Fair. From his research, it was usually mentioned that soulmates felt a “connection” even before colors started to appear. He was hoping that reading the stories will help him trigger his own memories of the Fair. He might even recall that special feeling. 

His family has enthusiastically thrown themselves behind his goal. Aside from actively participating on forums, his Dad has been reading on soul-bonds. His brother, sister and cousins all asked their friends who went to the fair for their old pictures (Mama Ten gave them that idea as she did take some pictures of the event). Leysam, his network-appointed handler, offered to talk to his contacts from the news department and the publishing company to inquire if they kept their own records of the event. The official website’s links regarding the event don’t seem to work anymore.

_ For now, we all agreed to keep our efforts subtle. I hope that’s enough. _

He was scrolling through the pages tagged with #2010CandyFair on Tumblr when a picture caught his eye (he had a crash course on navigating social media sites from his sister). It was a picture of a girl with another Candy Cutie. He wasn’t even in the picture. What caught his attention were the people in the background. He thought that the blurry woman having her picture taken in one of the photo booths with her profile to the camera was  _ Maine _ .


	12. #6699CC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know the drill.

_ She was there? _

He looked at the picture again. She was blurry and zooming in resulted in a pixelated image. But the profile’s familiar.

_ I’m almost sure that’s her but if I want to confirm, I have to either look for another picture or ask her. And since I can’t do the latter… _

He has been avoiding going “stalker mode” on Maine’s social media accounts. He would have prefered to get to know her in person instead of reading her old tweets and posts.  _ The person we present on our social media accounts is just a facet of ourselves and not the whole story.  _ However, this picture of Maine at the Candy Fair five years ago changed things. He had to know if that really was her.

He added her name to search parameter and ran it again. Unfortunately Tumblr didn’t yield any results.  _ And why would it, when we were both ordinary people then? _

He ran the search parameter on other sites and found her Facebook page. Her account’s private and the only public posts that he could see were her Dubsmash videos. The search results also displayed some fan pages dedicated to “Yaya Dub” and to “AlDub”. He clicked one page to see what people are saying about their segment and the page contained some behind the scene photos from the barangay. The latest post was on the second weeksary episode and the writer of the post said that Maine wasn’t feeling well so they had her stay inside the car (he thought the story’s plausible since Allan K casually mentioned that Maine’s sick today). From the comments, there is an ongoing debate on whether Yaya Dub and Alden are really soulmates.

>  
> 
> _ “It’s a soap. Of course, they’re soulmates.” _
> 
> _ “It’s a parody of a soap. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re not soulmates.” _
> 
> _ “Guys, what if the actors are really soulmates? Don’t you find that romantic?” _
> 
> _ “Nah, I doubt that. And we won’t really know. Everyone knows actors wear something to prevent them from accidentally meeting their soulmates while they’re working.” _
> 
> _ “Soulmates or not, you can’t deny their chemistry.” _
> 
> _ “Yes. They have that in spades. I swear if they ever have a movie or tv series together, I’ll watch that too. Do you know if there’s a fan club for the pair?” _
> 
> _ “No official announcement from EB but I heard there are unofficial fan clubs petitioning the show for one. Let’s change topic. What do you think is Alden’s secret?” _

 

Each post on that page had more than a thousand comments. He has noticed that he has been getting more notifications now, especially after the end of each episode.  _ People are now invested in the story. Can’t really blame them, I’m one of the actors and I am as curious as they are on what happens next. _

Mama Ten found him still looking through AlDub fan pages and posting comments with the Facebook account they created for his soulmate search (codename: Project Cinderella). She had to tap him on his shoulder to get his attention.

“RJ, it’s 5 pm. We have to go back to Manila for your rehearsals.”

He managed to get ready in half an hour. Traffic was terrible as usual but since he was going back to the city and not out of it (and his driver is resourceful), he thought he can make it to Broadway in time for his rehearsals. He took out his phone to go back to reading fan comments. Their theories on his secret ranged from cliche to creative - he has an evil twin, his family is involved with crime, he is a criminal mastermind, he is living under an assumed name, and so on. Mama Ten noticed that he was again engrossed with his phone.

“Is that related to  _ Cinderella _ ?”

He shook his head. “Listen to this, Ma.  _ ‘Alden is the grandson of Lola Nidora’s ex-boyfriend. He looks like his Lolo and Lola Nidora is reminded of her own failed romance so she doesn’t like him for Yaya Dub,’ _ ” he quoted. “What do you think, Ma? Possible, right?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Alden’s secret on  _ Kalyeserye _ . That’s one of the theories fans are discussing on Facebook.”

“And how did you end up reading comments on  _ Kalyeserye _ ? I thought you planned on searching for pictures from Candy Fair?”

“I was looking for Maine’s pictures from the Candy Fair but I ended up on this AlDub fanpage...”

“Maine’s pictures?”

“She was there.”

“SHE WAS THERE? IN 2010?”

“Ma! There’s no need to shout. Yes, here.” he showed Mama Ten the picture he saved from that Tumblr account.

Mama Ten took Richard’s phone and squinted at the display. She tried zooming in on the picture. “Hmmm...I’m not sure…”

“It’s blurry but my gut tells me it’s her. Her face in profile is the same as Maine’s.”

Mama Ten just shook her head at Richard’s words. “If you say so.”

“That’s why I need to find more pictures since I can’t ask her about it.”

He went back to reading. Several minutes later, Mama Ten spoke.

“What if she’s Cinderella? Did that cross your mind?”

“Ma, she was probably there to meet the celebrity cuties. She wouldn’t pay attention to plain old Candy cutie RJ Faulkerson when Daniel and Elmo were part of the Fair that year.”

Richard chose not to dwell on Mama Ten’s question. Though in the next few weeks, it will always be at the back of his mind.  _ What if? _

Rehearsals went smoothly. A crew tasked to make the VTR that will run next week followed their every move. They also interviewed him on his performance, asking about the twist to the segment that he suggested. He took this challenge seriously. He doesn’t want to disappoint anyone especially the Dabarkads (he’s starting to think of them as family too). He was up against Ruby and he knew that she is seriously preparing for her production too (and let’s face it, Tita Ruby is a difficult opponent as she is a good dancer).

He was back hosting  _ That’s My Bae  _ with Sam and Julia the next day. They kept on prodding him to talk about his "kidnapping". His own knowledge was limited so he didn’t really explain. Sam was again ready to push for the Aldub "ship" (a term he learned from fan comments yesterday).

_ " _ Alden do you believe in ‘forever’?"

His answer was a Dubsmash of  _ Bahala Na,  _ the same song Maine Dubsmashed after meeting him last July 16.

"Since you believe in 'forever', is it safe to assume you also believe in soulmates? Sam asked in his usual teasing tone.

Richard was expecting Sam to eventually ask him  _ this _ question. He smiled and said, “I always have, Sam.”

The audience erupted into shrieks. 

He was back inside one of the storage rooms at Broadway for the episode of  _ Kalyeserye _ . They planned on showing Alden’s “escape”. There was going to be a fight scene and Richard tried to recall what he learned from his previous movies and television shows as there wasn’t enough time for a run through. The lack of practice the shaky camera and the sound effects made the scene funnier.

He was surprised when Maine rushed to the monitor to attend to his wounds that he got from his fight with his abductors. He was supposed to be in pain he couldn’t help but give a small smile at her (he couldn’t  _ not _ smile at Maine). And when she gave him a kiss, he reacted like he felt that whisper of a kiss on his cheek. He froze, temporarily forgetting that he was supposed to react to the action on the other side of the monitor (Lola Nidora was clawing his face with a  _ spoon _ ).

His kidnappers finally caught up with him and grabbed him while he was trying to Dubsmash while asking for more kisses. After another fight scene with him losing, Lola Nidora proudly admitted that she was behind his disappearance. They then left him lying on the floor. Richard thought Alden should pass out but the panel thought that Alden was on the brink of death so he changed his mind and he acted like he was trying to remain conscious.

_ “As long as I have breath left in me, Alden, I will never let you meet Yaya.”  _ Lola Nidora proclaimed. Her victory speech was cut short by the sound of sirens. It was the police, arresting Lola Nidora. She tried evading arrest but the police outmaneuvered her. Maine wanted to go with her but Jose prevented her from leaving.

_ “Jail might be good for Lola. She might change and allow you to finally meet Alden.”  _ Jose suggested.

Because Maine was still upset at Lola Nidora’s arrest, Jose tried to distract her by making her accompany him to the house of the  _ Juan for All  _ winner. Richard made himself comfortable and watched this part of the segment (his focus was on Maine) through the monitor. He was supposed to appear after the prizes were given so he and the camera crew assigned to him were still hanging around the storage room.

Maine wowed him again when she managed to lip synch Jose’s spiels with barely any mistakes. Even when Jose deliberate ad-libbed some parts to make her falter. She also did a convincing Dubsmash of the winner’s answers to the questions of Bossing. Her display proved to the audience why she is called the “Dubsmash Queen” and impressed the panel. Richard was proud of her.  _ I have a feeling that you are one of the most talented people I’ve ever worked with, Maine. _

“Check your Twitter account or your Instagram account,” Mama Ten said handing him his phone after  _ Kalyeserye  _ ended. Project Cinderella required everyone in the know to have access to social media so his cousin set up an account on all available social media platforms. Richard thought Mama Ten saw something on Twitter or Instagram that is Cinderella-related. Checking his notifications, he saw that Maine posted a tweet.

 

> **@mainedcm** My faves in a box!!! Sweet (literal)! thank you, appreciate it ^_^ *pabebe smile*

 

Attached to the tweet is a picture of a familiar pink box. Inside the box were two small packages of HawHaw, sachets of MikMik and small packs of Koko Crunch. 

The same picture and caption were posted on her Instagram account.

Richard smiled.  _ Glad my gift made you smile, Maine. _

He turned his head back to Mama Ten. “She received the first box. Thanks for delivering it to Direk Pat.”

“She laughed when I told her that the box was from “an AlDub fan” who asked you to pass it to Maine. The barangay crew knew that it’s from you. So next time, hand your gift directly to them.”

Following Mama Ten’s advice/order, Richard waited for the barangay crew to arrive so he can hand the second box of candies to them. Direk Pat wasn’t there so he gave the box to Oreo. This time, he tucked a small note under the packages of HawHaw.

>   
>  _ Oh...Happiness *pabebe wave* =) _


	13. #8A7F8D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not JF. I didn't create Kalyeserye. I'm just remixing the episodes and adding a dash of magical realism to the story.
> 
> You'll probably notice the "alternate" in "alternate universe" in this chapter. This is probably my first "crossroads" chapter (there would be others, I'm sure).
> 
> This work is crossposted on WP.

_“Do you really have a crush on Yaya Dub?”_ Sam asked him on Monday.

The _Lesson of the Bae_ was on giving a non-committal answer through the movement of one’s eyebrows and lips. Richard already demonstrated the gesture earlier but Sam wanted him to do it again. _Of course he would find a way to segue it to AlDub._

To answer Sam’s question, he did the gesture and added AlDub’s signature pabebe wave. He let the audience interpret his actions.

There’s a certain nervous energy backstage because it was the first day of competition for _Bulaga Pa More Dabarkads Pa More._ There were more people running around double-checking props and costumes. Richard thought the nervousness came from knowing that this edition of _Bulaga Pa More_ is special. It’s is a homage to _Eat Bulaga_ itself.

Aiza Seguerra’s performance, which had everyone in tears, summed up the thoughts of everyone working on _Eat Bulaga_ for the past 36 years. _We are all grateful for the opportunities this show has given us. Three and a half months ago, I wouldn’t have said yes to a segment as unpredictable as Kalyeserye. Now, even if I still can’t crack a joke that will pass Bossing’s standards, doing comedy and hosting a segment are not as daunting._

While Aiza’s number was all heart, Paolo Ballesteros’ production number was a showcase of skills. Richard was sure he wasn’t the only one doubting the quality of his production number. _Compared to Kuya Pao, my own dance number is simple. And if I want to change it, I need to do it today._

As soon as Paolo’s performance ended, he went to the room designated for hair and makeup so they could put bruises on his face. While getting made up, he wondered who the “surprise guest” mentioned in the guidelines is. He is pretty sure the guest will drop by the barangay since he wasn’t called for any additional briefing (unlike when “Tita Celia” made her appearance).

***

For the first time on _Kalyeserye_ , Maine is not wearing her apron. Instead, she was wearing a yellow long-sleeved shirt under a grey jumper shorts. Richard is now used to seeing a monochrome Maine wearing brightly-colored clothes. Her appearance is the only constant thing when it comes to his color vision.

She seemed to enjoy her freedom from Lola Nidora. Jose asked her about the rumors circulating last weekend. Did she meet Alden? Richard denied the rumor when Sam asked him earlier but he is not sure if he answered correctly. He knew the rumor started from Jose’s statements last Saturday and it looked like some fans believed it and started spreading the story on Twitter.

He appeared on screen to the tune of _Fantastic Baby_ and Maine joined him in dancing to the song. He matched Maine’s high energy and exaggerated his movements. Since Lola Nidora wasn’t there to forbid their interaction, they did not only answer each other’s Dubsmashes but also exchanged flirty glances and air kisses. It didn’t last long.

The sound of car horns had them worried. Richard gave a sigh of relief when he saw that their “special guest” is just Dr. Dora the Explorer. She explained that Lola Nidora called her from Africa so she could bail Lola out of jail. Dr. Dora also revealed that she’s well-acquainted with Yaya Dub and the Rogelios. And she’s a huge AlDub fan. She volunteered to talk to Lola Nidora so she would finally allow Yaya to meet Alden.

The happy mood was cut short by a news report. Lola Nidora has escaped.

The highlight of this episode for Richard was the Dubsmash duet with Maine of Atlantic Starr’s _Always._ It made him realize that he and Maine have started to read each other’s body language. Their almost synchronized choreography during the duet proved that. _This is the first time I have developed rapport with a co-star without talking to her or doing an acting workshop together._

He was checking for messages when he saw her post pop up on his notifications.

> **@mainedcm** You are going to kill me with sweetness!!! ….but thank you for this happiness

She included the note in her picture. He smiled. _Enjoy your box of happiness, Maine._

 ***

Lola Nidora was back disguised as “Lola Aunor” the next day. She was furious at all the things that happened while she was away.

_“I told you, Yaya. I will always keep you apart from Alden. As long as I have air in my lungs, I’ll never let you meet him!”_

Jose and Vic were chiding her for escaping. They even insinuated that she had connections to aid her escape. Jose also pleaded Yaya Dub’s and Alden’s case. He said that she should allow the two meet to see if they really are soulmates. Lola Nidora was stubborn and continued to insist that Alden was behind the theft. She bemoaned the lack of people on her side and accused everyone of conspiring against her. She refused to accept the iced tea offered by Jose (he did put Dr. Dora’s gift - a “make her change her mind about Alden” potion - in the tea).

Paolo helped convince her to drink it. Once she did, everyone waited to see what the effects will be.

Richard didn’t know what are the effects of the potion so his eyes were glued to the monitor. The screen showed Tito Jimmy. Lola was repulsed. Richard then saw the floor director signal that they’ll be switching to him. He covered his face with his hands and waited for the song to start before removing them. He then glanced at the monitor to see Lola approaching the camera.

_“What a handsome young man! Who is he?”_

He then waved to Lola Nidora and whispered, “Hello, Lola.”

The camera kept on switching between him and Tito Jimmy and Lola Nidora's behavior was consistent. She liked him and hated Tito Jimmy.

However, Lola had a seizure and when it was over she was back to her usual self (she refused the tea when they offered it again).

_“How dare you wave at me, Alden! How did you even---”_

She was cut short by the sound of sirens. Lola panicked but Jose and Paolo assured her the sirens were not from the police.

Then a phone rang. Lola took the phone call and talked to someone in English. Afterwards, she looked smug.

_“Your flirting days with Alden are over, Yaya.”_

Richard badly wanted to join the discussion Jose and Paolo were having regarding the phone call. _I’m pretty sure there’s going to be a guest tomorrow._

“I’ll probably worry, if I were you,” Carr teased. She gave Bruce (the floor director for the segment today) a high-five.

“You both know?”

“Can’t tell you yet. You’ll find out tomorrow. Or at least, partly find out tomorrow,” Carr said.

“You two are bullies. Why did you tell me to worry and then not tell me the reason for the worry?”

“Because, as you said Alden, we’re bullies,” Bruce told him. “There’s still the closing shot so you have 20 or so minutes to convince us to spill the beans.”

He knew he won’t be able to convince them so he didn’t try. But that meant he spent the next 20 minutes thinking about possible scenarios.

_Lola’s smug so the person has to be on her side. She spoke English so he or she can be a foreigner. Maybe that someone will help her find the diary? Or even pay the ransom off?_

Then he remembered that it’s Kalyeserye. _I wouldn’t put it past Ms. Jenny and her writing team to make the phone call a red herring._

 That night, his family had a _Project Cinderella_ meeting.

“Any updates?” his father (he volunteered to become the “project manager”) asked.

While his aunt was talking, Richard saw Mama Ten giving him a glance. He didn’t want to mention Maine. _Not yet. I need to be sure first. But I have to say something before Mama Ten blurts it out._

“Riza, can you ask your friends if any of them remember the name of the photography studio that handled the photo booths during the Fair? If they have a Facebook page, they probably posted photos there.” he requested.

“And Dad, Tito Sen offered to look into the legal side of things. He said he might find a way for me to request for information without landing on the news.”

 ***

There was no _Kalyeserye_ briefing the next morning. He searched for the writing team and tried to plead with them by giving a “kicked puppy” look. Carr probably warned them so they ignored his efforts.

“You’ll find out later,” Carr said.

When the camera showed the feed from the barangay, Richard noticed two things.

  1. Jose’s not there.
  2. There’s a wooden divider placed next to Lola Nidora’s usual chair.



_What’s the divider for?_

Lola and Maine made their usual entrance together with the Rogelios. Lola continued with her smug behavior. After receiving another phone call, she gave her best “villain laugh” and proclaimed to Vic.

_“Marvic. Today is the day, AlDub ends.”_  Richard can hear the screams of the studio audience at her statement. He was just sitting on the hallway leading to the studio, watching the television screen. He was still on standby.

At the barangay, they heard the sound of car horns. She then placed the divider in a slightly diagonal angle to block the view of the approaching car. She then gave her orders. Maine has to stand on the other side of the divider and watch the events from the monitor. She also told the Rogelios to guard her.

Once she was in position, the camera then showed the parked Mercedes-Benz whose plate number reads “FAA”. The driver of the vehicle got out of the car and the camera first focused on his shoes then started panning up to the torso.

Richard, like the people in the panel, recognized the “guest” even before the camera revealed his face. (Paolo gleefully commented that the legs gave the mystery away). _Kuya Jose’s the guest for today._

 LMFAO’s _Sexy and I Know It_ was the background music during Jose’s entrance. Lola Nidora welcomed him.

_"Frankie! Welcome!”_ she shouted while giving him a hug and a buss on each cheek.

_“Hi Lola!”_ Jose gave Frankie an accent.

_“Glad you’ve made it.”_ She then went to the other side of the divide and spoke to Maine.

_"I told you everything’s over between you and Alden.”_

She went back to her seat and properly introduced Frankie to everyone. Frankie A. Arinolli (Richard couldn’t help but laugh at the pun; it’s brilliant) is the son of one of Lola Nidora’s friends. He is half-Filipino, quarter Chinese (his middle name is Amoi) and quarter Italian. His family own the biggest vineyards in the world. They also own Arinolli Airlines, which, according to Frankie, is the “best airline in Italy”.

After Frankie and Lola Nidora exchanged pleasantries, Lola finally revealed the reason why she invited Frankie.

_“Let me tell you how things are done in my day. For people of the upper class, a soulmate is not an obstacle to making an advantageous marriage.”_

The audience gasped while the panel waited for the continuation of her speech.

Richard now had an inkling of the writers’ plans and looked at Carr and Bruce. “Third party?” he mouthed. They just gave him a shrug. He turned back to the screen.

_“---would choose potential suitors for their children. Then they’ll vet them out first. There would be challenges. Only after proving their worth are children allowed to meet the chosen suitor and gaze into their eyes.”_

“What happens if they’re not soulmates?” That was Paolo.

_“That depends on the parents. But most of the time, soulmate status would not matter. Only 30% of the population meets their destined mate. Why take a chance when you can arrange a marriage for your child to someone who will give her everything?”_

“Lola, that doesn’t seem right. Let’s say your child already met his/her soulmate. What will you do?” Allan asked.

_“If the said soulmate doesn’t pass my standards then, I won’t allow it.”_

“That’s harsh, Lola.” Vic commented. On the other side of the divider, Maine was shaking her head. She was also saying “no” soundlessly.

_“No, Marvic. There are times when soulmates are only destined to be together for a short time. You give each other the gift of colors and that’s it.”_

Vic’s gave a small nod. His reaction showed that he understood where Lola Nidora’s coming from. Richard did too _(I know exactly how brief the encounter can be)_. He also thought he saw a brief moment of wistfulness in Lola’s gaze. Then she snapped out of it.

_“But that is a story for another time. My point is, Frankie I asked you to come because you are my chosen suitor for Yaya Dub. You’re worthy enough to meet her.”_

“What?” Allan and Paolo exclaimed together. Maine started banging the divider and saying “no” repeatedly. She wanted to leave but the Rogelios were blocking her path.

That was Richard’s cue to appear on the screen. (the noise level inside the studio increased). Maine started jumping up and down. He waved.

Lola then noticed him. _“Ah, Alden. You’re here.”_

_"Who’s that?”_

_“He is nothing, Frankie. Don’t worry. Now, wait here. I’ll just get Yaya.”_

When Maine saw Lola Nidora, she tried to beg.

_“That won’t work, Yaya. Come and meet Frankie.”_

Lola held Maine’s wrist and led her towards Paolo and Frankie. Maine had her eyes shut and was still shaking her head. Richard was trying to stop her.

_“Frankie, meet Yaya Dub.”_ Frankie already had his hand outstretched. He was looking at Maine. She still had her eyes closed.

_“Yaya, don’t be stubborn. Open your eyes.”_

Richard’s thoughts went back to what he knew of soulmates. _Gaze and touch. If you see colors after looking someone in the eye and touching them, then you’re soulmates_.

The members of the studio audience were on their feet. Allan K was shouting.

Richard gestured with his hands and said, “Run! Run!”

Lola was fast. She again held Maine’s wrist. Maine then opened one eye. Then another. As soon as Lola Nidora let go, she ran back to the other side of the divider.

_"Yaya!”_

Frankie and Lola followed her. Maine was trying not to stare at Frankie. She was uncomfortable. She then tried to hide behind Lola Nidora.

_“Lola, why is she acting like that?”_

_"She’s just shy Frankie. Yaya, you didn’t shake his hand. Do it.”_ Lola Nidora gave her a stare.

With a sigh, Maine shook Frankie’s hand briefly. Then asked for some wipes from Lola.

_“Why is she wiping her hand?”_

_“Frankie, Yaya’s is just a bit of a clean-freak. It’s one of her quirks.”_ Lola explained. _“I heard you brought something for her?”_

Frankie handed Maine a basket of chocolates. She accepted them but she kept putting some distance between her and Frankie. She still refused to look at him.

_“Well? Are they soulmates?”_ Joey finally said.

_“Yaya, answer the question. Can you see colors now?”_

Richard was also waiting. _Say no. Say no._

Yaya smiled and shook her head.

The audience rejoiced. Vic, Joey and Allan K exchanged high-fives. Richard celebrated by Dubsmashing to _Twerk It Like Miley_. Lola cut it short.

_“Not being soulmates is not an issue. Yaya, Frankie’s my choice. You will marry him whether you like it or not.”_

“MARRY?” Richard, Paolo, the panel and Jose shouted.

_“Lola? This is… unexpected. Five minutes ago, I was a suitor. Now, I’m a fiance?”_

_“No time like the present, Frankie. I already talked to your parents. They agreed. We already drafted the contract.”_

Lola then walked towards the camera. _“Alden, if you only gave me the 51,000,500 that I asked for, you might be able to change my mind. But you didn’t. So, I win.”_ She went back to her seat. _“Frankie, show him why you’re better.”_

Frankie started to Dubsmash to _Twerk It Like Miley_ and he and Richard had a dance off. Frankie also tried to sing to _God Gave Me You._

Their exchange was interrupted by Maine begging Lola Nidora (she lip synched to _Kunin Mo Na Ang Lahat Sa Akin)_. Richard on the other hand, promised that his affections won’t change through a string of love songs.

_“Hmmph. Dubsmash all you want. This will be the last time you’re doing it together. After all, Yaya is going to marry soon.”_

“When are they getting married?” Paolo inquired.

_“On Saturday.”_ The audience again made their displeasure at that news felt.

“Let’s make this clear. This Saturday?” Joey repeated.

_“Yes. We will have a wedding on Saturday.”_ Lola declared. She looked at the camera.

_"And you can’t do anything about it, Alden.”_


	14. #483C32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: This is an AU. My interpretation of certain people might clash from yours.

Richard met Ruby on her way backstage after her  _ Bulaga Pa More  _ performance. She gave him a hug. 

As the oldest female host of  _ Eat Bulaga _ , she has taken him under her wing when he started. She helped him adjust to the culture of the show. She would share tidbits about the show’s long history and some of her memorable moments on the show. Richard grew up watching Eat Bulaga and he felt privileged to hear the stories behind it. She also taught him when not to take things seriously (he thought she did it out of pity; he was too serious and too intimidated when he started and he would always fall for the things the Dabarkads would say).

Several days after telling TVJ about his color status, he decided to admit it to her too. The two of them were the first people at Broadway that day and like his confession to TVJ, he just blurted out his situation. Ruby gave him a hug afterwards and told him that if he wants advice or help, she is ready to listen.

“You were great, ‘Ta Rubs. I’ll try my best to beat you.” Richard said good-naturedly, while returning the hug.

“I’m sure you will also do great, Den. Goodluck!” Ruby went on her way while Richard prepared for his turn.

While the crew secured his harness and made some adjustments, Richard thought back to what happened after  _ Eat Bulaga _ yesterday.

Richard had to attend two rehearsals after Eat Bulaga ended. The first one was for Sunday PINASaya. Their first episode is airing that Sunday. The new show is different from the typical Sunday variety show. Instead of song and dance numbers, the show will have different skits. That’s the reason why the show holds extended rehearsals two times a week. And for the pilot episode, the cast and the crew are required to attend an extra day of rehearsal (the producers want to make sure that the pilot episode’s perfect).

During the lull in the rehearsals, he made his way to Wally and Jose. Jose greeted him in his ‘Frankie’ accent.

“Ummm… Hi, Kuya Jose?”

Jose laughed. “I was just teasing you, Den. How’s Broadway?”

“Everyone’s fine. I think Tito Sen was looking for you last Monday.”

“I already talked to him.”

“So, Alden are you ready for your  _ Bulaga Pa More _ performance tomorrow?” Wally asked.

“There’s still a tech rehearsal tonight but I think I’m ready.”

“We will be cheering for you.” Wally assured him. “So do your best, and I’ll make sure  _ she’ll  _ watch your performance,” he teased.

“Kuya Wally!” Alden shouted. He can feel heat creeping up his ears.

“Of course, we’ll watch  _ Bulaga Pa More.  _ It’s not like we can switch channels.” Jose said. “Now Alden, is there any way that you can help me convince our writers to make Frankie a golf addict?”

“Ha?” He was still reeling from Wally’s teasing.

“You’ve heard him earlier. He wants Frankie to be a golfer. That’s only because, if he is, then he can wear shorts during the segment.”

“Wally, they made me wear jeans and a leather jacket today! Can you imagine how that feels?”

Wally stared at Jose. “Really? You are asking me that question?”

Richard decided to butt in before an argument can occur. “Kuya Jose, I’m afraid I can’t help you. I can’t even make them tell me about the scenes from the barangay. They won’t listen to me regarding your costume.”

“So you didn’t know about Frankie.” Wally said.

“No. But I sort of figured it out during the segment.”

“I swear, Jenny and the writing team are having fun at our expense. When I agreed to play Frankie, I thought it was going to be a one time thing.” Jose complained.

They ended up spending the rest of their rehearsal break discussing the current  _ Kalyeserye _ plot points.

_ It was pretty refreshing to finally talk to people who are on the same boat _ .  _ Though I wish I could talk to Maine too. _

He was taken back to the present when he heard someone say, “The harness is all set, Den. We go back on air in 30 seconds.” The crew proceeded to raise him up. Once he was in position, Richard took several calming breaths, then he uttered a prayer.

Allan K and Julia introduced his performance.

“He is one of our newest Dabarkads.” Richard smiled at the that.  _ I still can’t believe I’m officially part of the Dabarkads. _

“The whole country has been following his and Yaya Dub’s story.” The audience screamed at that.  _ I hope you are watching, Maine. _

“And, hearts can’t help but flutter whenever he flashes his bedimpled smile. Ladies and gentlemen, let’s all welcome, Eat Bulaga’s ‘bae’, Dabarkads Alden Richards!” There were more screams from the gallery.

_ Here we go. _ The music started and his harness lowered him to the stage.

Once it was over, he went to where Ruby was lying down to give her a hug. He then assisted her up and placed one arm on her shoulder. They both listened to the comments of their guest judge (AiAi delas Alas who also came to promote two of her shows) and the other Dabarkads. Joey thought Richard was going to win.  _ Not sure if Tito Joey was joking with his statement. _

During the break, he had to eat lunch quickly because there was a  _ Kalyeserye  _ briefing. They finally explained why they told him yesterday to just buy a bouquet of flowers instead of a customized gift for the 3rd Weeksary.

“No celebration since Lola Nidora’s taking Yaya to see a dressmaker.”

“But she hasn’t given up, right?” Richard clarified.

“Of course,” Jenny answered. The creative head was listening to the briefing. “Are you giving up on Yaya Dub?”

“Alden wouldn’t,” Richard confirmed. “He believed that he has a connection to Yaya Dub. He wants to find out what that connection is.”

He then raised something that has been bothering him. “But, Ms. Jenny, Alden’s at a disadvantage. He can’t compete with Frankie’s riches. And Lola Nidora hates him.”

“You’ll find out soon, Alden.” Jenny cryptically answered. After checking the rest of the pages of the outline, she left and the rest of the briefing was done by the other writers.

The episode finished without a hitch. To Richard, the episode’s memorable because of a couple of “firsts”.

It wasn’t the first time he flashed a fansign in the segment but it was the first time he received a reply from Maine. He was surprised when he saw her write. He thought they will give her pre-written (he wrote them before the segment) ones like his. It was also the first time Maine was allowed to express Yaya Dub’s thoughts outside of Dubsmashing and making faces. She won’t be needing Lola Nidora’s translations.  _ Next time, I’ll request for blank pages too. So I could properly reply to what she says. _

He has done breakdown scenes under the pouring rain in his previous films and shows but it was the first time he had done that scene where no effort was made to make people believe that the rain was real (you don’t usually do a breakdown scene under a sunshower). The sun was so bright that he had to squint a bit when he first went out of the studio and while doing the scene, he felt the harsh noon sun beat down his back (he planned to upload a picture of this scene later).

But the most memorable scene that happened in this episode for Richard was when Maine wrote and showed an unexpected fansign.

> _ You looked cute earlier. Hihihi =) _

 

Wally teased him about that fansign when he saw him at rehearsals for Sunday PINASaya. His teasing was overheard by his co-workers and they found out that several of them are avid viewers of the show. Wally and Richard (and eventually Jose) spent the next several minutes satisfying their curiosity about  _ Kalyeserye _ .

After the rehearsal, he had to attend another meeting so he skipped Eat Bulaga’s thanksgiving celebration. He found out later that Maine attended the event through the various social media posts made by his co-hosts. Maine even uploaded a picture of herself crying over the rose petals that were left when he did his breakdown scene. Her caption read,  _ “I’m here. Where are you?” _

_ And yet another missed chance. Why couldn’t I meet you in person? _

 

On that Friday’s episode, Lola Nidora oversaw the final preparations for the wedding. She inspected the wedding dress brought by Oreo, who was playing designer Barbara Sastre and an unknown man (Richard would later learn he was Maine’s brother, Nico). Lola also sent invitations to the panel and they read the names of the members of the wedding entourage out loud. When Frankie arrived, they proceeded with the pre-nup shoot. 

Richard spent that episode lying on a hospital bed. He had an oxygen mask covering his nose and a “doctor” by his side. They were going to ask one of the other hosts to play the doctor but when Richard suggested to the writers to have his blood drawn for tests during the segment, they had to cast a professional. He noticed that the look of worry on Maine’s face when his blood was being extracted. She expressed her concern through fansigns. At first, he put up a weak protest against the developments at the barangay, but he managed to get up to sit next to the TV screen and interact with Maine through the screen. They even managed to pull off a kiss before Lola Nidora interrupted them.

When Maine fled the photoshoot, Richard saw a glimmer of hope.  _ Maybe they won’t find her. Frankie already threatened to marry Lola Nidora if the Rogelios failed. Maybe that will happen. _

Richard woke up on Saturday knowing that something is going to happen. 

_ I don’t know if it’s a “good something” or “bad something” but I am sure that there is a “something.” _

He was at Broadway by 8:30 AM for another rehearsal (he’s doing the opening number with the semi-finalists of  _ That’s My Bae _ ). When he got there, Broadway’s already bustling with activity. He remembered that today is the weekly finals of  _ Bulaga Pa More _ when he saw Paolo carrying his costume over one arm while the other hand was carrying what looks like a professional makeup kit.

He attended the briefing for  _ That’s My Bae  _ after rehearsals _.  _ Sam discussed the spiels and had him practice the  _ Lesson of the Bae pose.  _ He also warned Richard.

“You know I’m going to ask you something about you-know-who later, Alden.”

“Voldemort?” Richard asked with a deadpan expression.

“What? No!” Sam’s eyes went wide. “Wait. Was that a joke? OMG.”

Sam clapped him on the back. “You’ve come a long way, Papi. I never would have guessed you have this side. You always looked serious.”

He was going say another pun but Sam beat him to it. “I know that one. My advice, Papi, is to quit while you’re ahead.”

“Dabarkads, I’ve been reading about this persistent rumor on social media. Fans are even asking me about it. So, I’m going to take the opportunity to ask one of the subjects of the rumor.” Sam turned to Alden. 

“Papi Alden, is it true that you met Yaya Dub last Thursday? She was here in the studio for  _ Eat Bulaga’s _ thanksgiving.”

Richard is familiar with this rumor. Sam wasn’t the first person to ask him if he met her that day. His Dad already did when he got home last Thursday. When he said no, his father just laughed and said that maybe Lola Nidora’s right about waiting for the right moment.

He answered Sam with a bit of frustration in his voice. “I haven’t seen even a glimpse of her hair. I wasn’t here. I had to attend to some other commitments.”

“I did look for you and I did feel bad that you weren’t there. You haven’t seen her in person while I, and the rest have their pictures taken with her.” Sam smugly said.

“I’ve seen those pictures on social media. I wish I was here that day.” He sighed. “Who knows, this might be the day…”

The audience reacted to his statement. Sam did too and tried to clarify.

“Are you saying you are going to the wedding today?”

“We’ll see.”  _ The writers gave me a hint earlier and my mind’s telling me that it will happen today but I still have that feeling of “something”. _

Because of the nature of the episode for today, the production team decided to pick the winner of the barangay first. During that part of  _ Juan for All, _ they showed parts of the preparation. Richard was watching from one of the monitors backstage. He noticed that the noise level from the crowd was higher than usual. The crowd was also a bit thicker. 

They also showed Maine getting her makeup done. Richard’s world is full of color today though as usual, Maine is still monochrome. But even if he has never seen her face in full color, Richard still found himself drawn to it. Her lips are full and her eyes are expressive. Right now, sorrow is written all over her face. It’s obvious she doesn’t want to get married.

After the first part of  _ Juan for All _ , Richard tried to eat lunch but that unsettling feeling kept him finishing it. He tried to distract himself by watching the production numbers of his fellow Dabarkads. It worked for a bit. Paolo’s death-defying stunt work on the hoop completely took his mind off his thoughts on what caused his unease. Julia’s had him singing along to  _ Eat Bulaga’s  _ theme song.

The feeling came back when they showed an update to the wedding.  _ That confirmed what I suspected. Something is going to happen at the wedding.  _ He began to pace.  _ But what can happen? _

His pacing was cut short by Jenny. “Alden, here are some last-minute instructions for the wedding.”

“Am I going to stop the wedding? The list of songs…”

“Alden, this is my instruction.  _ Feel _ . We’ll leave it up to you. There is a van waiting to take you to the barangay if you do want to stop the wedding.”

_ Feel.  _

_ Alright, RJ. Let’s say Maine’s your missing soulmate. She’s the one you met 5 years ago at the Candy Fair. She’s Cinderella. And because custom dictates you talk to her family once you find out someone’s your soulmate, you go to her house to introduce yourself. _

_ You find out that you’re too late. She’s engaged to someone else. You see, her family thought of her future. Why take chances with an unknown soulmate who didn’t even look for her? Her family then forbid you to see her and tell her that she’s your soulmate. She doesn’t need to know. She can already see the world in color. _

Richard felt a mix of emotions at those thoughts. First, there was regret for making the choice of not looking for his soulmate. Then there was guilt. He is to blame for the decision of her family. Then there was sorrow at the lost chance. He let his tears fall. With the tears came indignation.

_ Her family refused to hear my side. They refused to give me that. Well, I need to hear her side. Is she willingly marrying the guy? If she isn’t and she’s just being forced to for the sake of say, a large inheritance from a rich lola, then I think I deserve to be given a second chance. I’m ready to finally meet her. I’ll defy her family and meet her if I see any hint of unwillingness on her part. _

As Jenny suggested, Richard let his feelings guide his actions on  _ Kalyeserye. _ He expressed his determination to fight for their chance at being soulmates (his tears surprised the panel) while Maine expressed disagreement at the situation and asked him to not give up. Seeing her being taken to the covered court where the wedding will take place spurred him to action. 

He left the studio to stop the wedding.

On his way there, the crew with him asked him if he wants to just help Yaya Dub escape the wedding (he’ll be left behind) or if he wants them to escape together.

“To be honest, I didn’t really think about what I will do once I arrive.”

They didn’t have a monitor inside the van so Alden asked the crew if they would make it in time.

“Yes, we will. The barangay’s just 5 minutes away, traffic permitting. And Pat knows that we are on our way. I’ll be giving her updates. She’ll stall if needed.” Carr said.

Richard nodded. He then thought about the crew’s question.  _ I don’t really have an answer to that. My choice of action depends on what will happen once I meet her. I think this is why I feel uneasy. I’m finally meeting her today. _

As it turned out, Richard was not meant to meet Maine that day. 

They had to park a few meters away from the covered court. Richard jumped out of the van as soon as the vehicle was parked. He was met by a black and white world and a crew from the barangay for a brief update. On his way to the covered court, he heard the sound of an ambulance.

Half of the people attending the wedding were already looking at his direction when he entered. He saw Lola Nidora and Frankie but Maine wasn’t there.

Lola Nidora went to where he was standing. She was livid.  _ “What are you doing here? Yaya Dub’s not here. LEAVE.” _

Frankie walked towards him too.  _ “You’re messing things up, Alden. Please leave.” _

Richard had no idea what happened before he arrived. But it was obvious that something did. Oreo was frantically talking to someone on the phone. Lola’s lines were ad libbed. Frankie’s were too. And the writers were just making hand signals to just continue with it _. Think of the audience, RJ. Don’t think about the reasons why she isn’t here. _

He started making a scene. He throwing the flowers that lined the aisle everywhere. The wedding officiant tried to calm him down but he just continued. Frankie then went to him and threw him a fake punch and ran. He went after him but he was met by the Rogelios.

Lola Nidora stopped them (he almost fake punched Lola Nidora). _ “Leave, Alden. You won’t find her here. You already ruined the wedding. Did you know those flowers were expensive? They were from Holland. And the wedding souvenirs! The catering! All ruined.” _ She started hitting him (Wally had a coughing fit and Richard immediately patted his back and asked if he’s okay; he gave a nod).  _ “Frankie, help me. Talk some sense him.” _

Frankie came out of hiding and said,  _ “Dude. Don’t be insensitive. Know when you are not wanted. She already picked me. She’s marrying me. I might not be her soulmate but I love her.” _

Frankie’s words echoed his thoughts before  _ Kalyeserye _ started. But instead of dwelling on Frankie’s insults and his own insecurities about his personal soulmate situation, he resolved to do something.

He went out of the venue, intending to look for Maine. He was able to ask some bystanders what happened before Frankie and Lola Nidora went after him. They only said,  _ “ambulance” _ . That shocked him.  _ Ambulance? _

He tried subtly asking Jose and Wally about it. Jose just gave a small nod and mouth, “after Kalyeserye”, while Wally distracted the viewers by loudly looking for Yaya Dub.

Richard went back in the court with his mind still in a bit of a daze. Jenny met him. “I know you have questions and I assure you, you will get your answers after. Let’s just finish the episode. I want you to continue ruining the wedding.”

Richard nodded then he took a deep breath to calm his mind.  _ Just a few more minutes. Patience. You’ll get your answers. _

Five minutes later, he was bodily dragged out of the covered court by the Rogelios and put him in the van. The episode finished with Lola Nidora asking for everyone’s help while Frankie started to lose his sanity.

Richard got out of the van as soon as they were given the all-clear. He immediately looked for Jose and Wally.

“Kuya Jose! Kuya Wally! What happened to Maine? Why are people saying “ambulance”?”

“She fainted, Den. The crew took her to the nearest hospital to get checked.” Jose said.

_ She fainted. This is why I have all these uneasy feelings. _

“Alden? You’re not going to faint on us too, right? I think we all need to take a seat.” Wally said while pulling Richard’s arm and leading him toward the empty chairs located away from the bystanders who are still inside the venue. Jose didn’t follow.

“Why did she faint, Kuya Wally? Is she sick?”

“She did say she wasn’t feeling well today,” Wally explained. “I was ready to bargain with the writers to postpone the wedding earlier because she looked pale. However, she told me she’s fine and she could finish the show. She doesn’t really want to inconvenience anyone.”

“Do we have any updates?”

“She’s conscious now. And the doctors are checking her,” Jose appeared and handed Wally and Richard a bottle of water. “Jenny told me.”

“Can I visit her? I really want to see for myself that she’s okay.”

“Ask the boss, Alden. If you get permission, I think you can go with Pat. She’s going to the hospital to check on her and bring her things.” Wally suggested. Jose pointed him to the direction of Jenny Ferre.

Unfortunately, she didn’t agree.

“This is going to sound cruel, Alden but you can’t visit her personally. You, Wally and Jose will need to handle the media today. There are already rumors going around and we’ve been receiving requests for a statement from the print media as well as the news department of your network.”

His face fell. _ Sometimes, I really hate this “the show must go on” mantra of the business. But then, I would rather answer the interviews if that meant the press will not talk to her. She doesn’t need that. Not while she’s recovering. _

After his talk with  _ Eat Bulaga’s  _ creative head, Richard went to look for Direk Pat. He found her inside one of the service vehicles, gathering Maine’s things. She asked him if he’s going with her.

“No, Direk. I have to go to an interview with the news department on what happened. But I’d like to ask for a favor. Well, two, actually.”

“Let’s hear them first before I say yes.”

“I don’t have her number but I want to write Maine a note. Can you please wait for it?”

“Not a problem. I still have some tasks to finish so you still have time. And the second?”

“Updates? I’m really worried.”

“Sure. You’re really a good kid, Alden.”

Richard wrote his note on a small square piece of Manila paper cut from the leftover paper used for idiot boards. 

> _ Hi Maine, _
> 
> _ I thought we would finally meet today. I guess, it’s still not “our time”, right? _
> 
> _ I hope you get enough rest (follow doctor’s orders). Don’t worry about Kalyeserye. Kuya Wally, Kuya Jose and I would take care of it.  _
> 
> _ Get well soon!  _
> 
> _ Richard (Alden) =)  _   
> 


	15. #98817B

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Standard disclaimers apply.

Jenny Ferre wasn’t exaggerating when she said that the incident caught the attention of the press. His appearance on an entertainment talk show after _Eat Bulaga_ was just the beginning of a busy weekend. Richard, Jose and Wally were asked by the news department about the incident during Sunday Pinasaya rehearsals. Then the entertainment press asked them the same questions at the press conference for Sunday Pinasaya that happened after the rehearsals. And on Sunday after the show, they still answered questions from reporters who were doing a follow-up story after Eat Bulaga released a statement late Saturday night.

Pat did send updates. He panicked a little when he saw the pictures of Maine being examined by the doctor (she also sent the same pictures to EB and that’s what they used for their update) from an unknown number. He was about to sneak out of rehearsals and find a quiet place to call when another message came.  _Doctors think she fainted because of stress and fatigue. Nothing a little rest won't cure - Ate Pat._

He let out a sigh of relief before sending out a reply.  _Thanks, Ate Pat. I thought it was something serious when I saw the pics you sent._

_I figured. Well, here’s another picture proving she’s okay. By the time you get this, she has probably uploaded it on her account._

She sent him a picture of Maine. Her face was wearing another expression that he has filed under "uniquely Maine’s" in his head. Her body was posed like those old martial art films.

He then checked Maine’s social media accounts to see if she already posted the picture. She has and her caption made him smile at her spirit. When he read the last line, he felt giddy.

_Was that a response to my note?_

The members of the entertainment press were not the only curious ones. Richard also answered questions from colleagues who were fans of their show. Sam sent text messages asking him if he wanted to talk about the incident. His family, on the other hand, waited for him to tell them what happened.

Their fans were more active than usual. The hashtag for _Kalyeserye_ trended worldwide and according to Leysam rumors have been flying around since Maine fainted. He sounded amazed at the level of discussion. "AlDub fans are good at digging information," he commented.

 

On Sunday, he also received a peculiar email from Dr. Hatano. _Did you see her yet? Any new colors? Please send me your color diary entries for the month._

Richard read through the entries, trying to look for something that would stand out. His entries were almost consistent for the past week.

 

>   _Color vision; MM monochrome except for clothes._

 

_Why is Dr. Hatano asking about new colors? I would have told him if I had gotten a new one. I know how important that is._ When he first met Dr. Hatano, he told him that his vision right now has some colors and some “wrong” colors (he couldn’t tell differences in shades, tones and tints for some hues). It was why the doctor first suspected that he was suffering from a form of color-blindness. When the tests came back negative of any color-related diseases, Dr. Hatano speculated that Richard will only see those missing colors when he finds his soulmate again.

_Maybe he has a new theory? Or he found something._ With his phone, he took pictures of the requested entries and sent them to Dr. Hatano with a note that said, _“Maine’s okay. She’s just over-fatigued. I don’t want to disturb her rest so I haven’t visited. Don’t worry, you’ll probably see her on TV soon.”_

After sending the email, Richard visited _Eat Bulaga’s_ Facebook page to watch the replay. Seeing her faint was quite different from hearing that she fainted. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears while the medics were treating her. He had to remind himself that she’s okay now. Afterwards, he thought about their situation.

_What is it with missed chances? Since she became part of the show, I almost met her thrice._

_First was when she was when she came to Broadway for a contract extension meeting. She was supposed to drop something by the hosts’ room first according to Kuya Wally but Ms. Jenny probably intercepted her._

_Then there was the thanksgiving dinner of Eat Bulaga. She met TVJ. She met Sam. I wasn’t there._

_Now, it’s the wedding._

_Then there’s the 2010 Candy Fair. If she was really there, then that’s number four._

_These things can’t just be coincidences. There's something about us. Something’s preventing us from meeting face-to-face._

_At the back of his mind, he could hear Lola Nidora say,_ **_"there’s right moment and time for everything."_ **

 

***

Wally was at Broadway on Monday for his _Bulaga Pa More_ performance, so, for the first time, Richard attended a _Kalyeserye_ briefing with a co-star.

“Looks like we’re switching places,” Wally stated after the writers left.

“I’m looking forward to it, Kuya Wally. It will be a nice change for me, at least.” He has only been assigned to the barangay once before _Kalyeserye_ happened. At that time, he didn’t know how to interact with Jose and Wally (he felt more comfortable talking to Paolo since they worked together before). Now, he has started to develop rapport with them.  

“You still have to talk to Jose so I suggest you leave immediately after _That’s My Bae_. Just eat lunch at the barangay. Paolo took care of the catering today. His treat for winning last Saturday.”

 

Richard followed Wally’s advice and immediately proceeded to the barangay after his segment. He was able to catch Jose and Paolo still having lunch with the barangay crew. They were all happy to see him.

“Alden! Welcome back to the barangay!”

“Catering’s over there. Help yourself.”

Richard went to get food then sat next to Jose. Paolo was telling them what happened at Broadway that Saturday. "At first we all thought it was part of the script. Then I saw Pat and the medics. That’s when I realized something’s wrong. And I think my reaction sent the others to panic. I went out of the break room to ask our staff for news but they only told me that Jenny rushed to the barangay. We didn’t get the whole story until you all came back."

Oreo spoke. "Was my first time handling an emergency. We’ve talked about and planned for medical emergencies but experiencing one is nerve-wrecking. I hope it never happens again."

"I still can’t believe the press was as hungry for news about Meng as the fans. Alden, tell them about our weekend," Jose said, drawing Richard into the conversation.

After lunch, Jose had to get changed for his role. Once he’s done, he and Richard talked about the scenes for _Kalyeserye._

"What do you want to do, Den? How will the confrontation with Frankie go?"

"Well, Kuya, Frankie is insecure right? Especially with Maine’s diagnosis. Why don’t we play that up?"

"What diagnosis? She’s not that sick right? Pat said she was just dehydrated and overfatigued."

Richard realized the cause of misunderstanding. "I’m referring to the explanation for _Kalyeserye,_ Kuya."

_"_ Ah. And they told you about it?"

_"_ I was with Kuya Wally during the briefing. They didn’t tell you about her supposed illness?"

Jose shook his head. "It means they want me to find out during the show. Let’s see...of course!”

He then stared at Richard. “Tell me, Alden. Is the diagnosis related to my face?"

Richard’s eyes widened. "Err...I think I already said too much, Kuya. Sorry!" He put his hands in a prayer position and tried to look apologetic.

"I don’t want you to get scolded for a little slip so I won’t pry. Although, your little slip _is_ enough. I already have a rough idea on what the writing team planned for today. Now, going back to Frankie, if my rival confronted me and he has your face, I would have punched him. Just to... ruin his... looks…"

"Just give me a warning before you throw that punch, Kuya. I promise not to retaliate."

Richard saw that Jose was distracted again. He knew Jose just thought of something. Something brilliant.

"I know what to do. Leave it to me. Don’t worry, you’ll get your warning. And I have to tell Oreo that I need a medicine bottle."

Jose’s idea was for Frankie to throw an unidentified substance at his rival’s face. Richard thought with Lola implying that Yaya Dub fainted because of Frankie’s face, his action was in character.

 

After the show, Richard had to go back to Broadway. Jose was going with him since he has rehearsals for his _Bulaga Pa More_ performance. While waiting for their vehicle, he asked Direk Pat, who was standing next to them about Maine.

“Ate Pat, how is she?”

“She’ll be back tomorrow.”

“Isn’t that too soon?” Richard asked. He knew that Maine needed a few more days of rest. _She’s new at this and her body is still adjusting._

“She insisted. Said she needs to practice for Wednesday.”

Richard then remembered that Maine’s competing on Wednesday. For one second, he felt happy that he might meet her on Wednesday. He started to think of ways on how to finally meet her but then remembered that Maine was hospitalized last Saturday.

“She’s still performing on Wednesday? I’m sure if we ask the bosses, they’ll re-schedule her performance. I’ll be willing to talk to them and find a replacement contestant. I might be able to convince Kuya Ryan to go first. He has been rehearsing all week.”

“Den, she’ll just be upset that she’s given special treatment.” Jose remarked. “Meng hates inconveniencing people. That’s also the reason why she fainted last Saturday. She downplayed what she felt.”

“But she can relapse!”

“I did insist on consulting the doctor first. He did say she can resume normal activities.” Pat assured him.

“But Ate Pat, rehearsals are not part of her ‘normal activities’. How strenuous is her production number?”

“Well, she’s not doing any stunts.”

“Den, you should let this go. We are both in no position to speak about getting enough rest when there are commitments to finish.”

That made him pause. Jose and Wally are two of the busiest comedians in the business. Aside from _Eat Bulaga_ and _Sunday Pinasaya_ , they also regularly perform at different comedy bars. Jose has to tape a game show too.

_And remember RJ, you are exactly the same. You hate to be the cause of delay or rescheduling. You go to tapings and commercial shoots even if you have a raging fever._

“You’re right, Kuya Jose. It’s just… seeing her faint scared me. And that was with the knowledge that she’s already okay.”

“And I’ve lived through it. I think everyone here will do everything to prevent a second incident.”

“Oh, definitely. I don’t want to go through that again.” Pat confirmed. “I’ll keep an eye on her,” she added.

“Ate Pat, where is the location for _Juan for All_ tomorrow?”

“Indang, Cavite.”

“Why did you ask about the barangay? Are you planning on sending another box of candies?” Jose inquired when they were on their way back to Broadway.

“You knew about the candies?”

“It was obvious, Den.”

“Then _she_ knows?”

“We didn’t tell her. The thought might have crossed her mind but I noticed she doesn’t like assuming things. So, unless you do tell her (we won’t since you tried keeping it a secret), she won’t believe it.”

“Ah. I see.” Richard was surprised at the stories he heard today. _I have a lot to learn about her._

“So?” Jose prompted.

“So?”

“Why did you ask about the barangay?”

“Ummm… I did want to send something. Not candies. Fruits. And maybe something to keep her hydrated during practice.” He admitted in a soft voice. _This is embarrassing. Kuya Jose is good at interrogation. He totally intimidated me into admitting it._

“Sign the note this time, okay? It’s better to be straightforward.”

 

The next day, Richard was again attending the briefing for _Kalyeserye_ alone. Jose is not appearing on the episode. Instead, he’s scheduled to sit at the panel. As usual, they told him the resolution of the previous cliffhanger first then discussed the outline of the rest of the episode.

“Oh and today, we will be giving you blank pieces of paper so you can write what you want to say. You will be exchanging on the spot messages. Try to stick to the story arc, okay?”

He nodded absently. His brain was stuck. _On the spot messages. I can finally ask her if she’s okay._

  
***

_“Paolo, hijo, I’m so stressed right now. Everything’s falling apart. Frankie’s trying to call the wedding off. I’m going to lose the promised 51 million. I won’t be able to ransom my diary.”_ Lolo Nidora was agitated.

Paolo tried to calm her down but her mood got worse. _“This is all your fault, Alden. If you didn’t gatecrash…"_

Joey interrupted her. "You already had your revenge on Alden. You ordered Frankie to throw acid at his face."

_"He deserved that! I only want what’s best for Yaya. I want her to live a life of comfort and luxury."_

"But you are depriving her of the chance to meet her soulmate. What if it’s really Alden?" Paolo argued.

"Alden did not deserve to be attacked. He is just looking for his soulmate too. Why are you depriving them of that chance?" Allan K added.

_"And you two are hopeless romantics. I told you. Even with soulmates there is no guarantee that you would be happy. And the percentage of people who find theirs is slowly decreasing. I don’t want her to pin her chance at a better life at 30%."_

Jose joined the argument. "And why can’t they beat the odds and be two of the ‘Lucky 30’?"

_"Impossible. They are **not** soulmates." _

Richard was staring at the monitor, nervously waiting for Maine to appear. He was going to tune out Lola Nidora’s monologue but changed his mind at the mention of "soulmates".

Lola’s last line startled him. Wally delivered it like Lola Nidora was stating a fact. His sentiments were echoed by Joey.

"Why do you say that? Why are you stating it as a fact?"

_"I’ll tell you at the right moment."_

_"_ Lola, your secrets are nerve-wracking. What are the writers planning?" Richard muttered to the screen.

“I knew you would say that. Fine. Just tell us what happened to Alden.” Paolo said in exasperation.

_"His face is now ruined! He wouldn’t dare show his face ever again! He’ll be too embarrassed.”_

“And Yaya?”

That was Maine’s cue to appear, dancing to _Fantastic Baby_. Richard grinned and tried to match her moves.

“I wished we can show that dance to the audience. It’s different from your usual suave numbers.” Bruce teased from behind the cameraman.

“You are picking up her moves, Alden.” Mike, the cameraman added.

“Did you miss her? Your smile now says you do.”

He ignored the teasing. They all knew the answer anyway. _I did miss her. And I want to tell her that._

 

After the segment, the Dabarkads asked him about the last fansign exchange.

 

 

> _“Is tomorrow finally our time?”_
> 
> _“I hope so.”_
> 
>  

“Are you really going to meet tomorrow?” Allan K asked as soon as he got inside the break room. The others started speaking too.

“Are you excited?”

“Are you ready, Papi Alden?”

“I’m excited. Alden’s finally meeting her.”

“Waaaah… I can’t take this feeling. This is it for Alden and Yaya.”

“Calm down, guys. Alden’s still in a daze.” That came from Jose, who shouted it over the excited voices of Julia, Sam, Pia and Ruby.

Everyone stopped talking.

Richard took a seat next to Julia. After a few seconds, he said “I...don’t know if we are meeting tomorrow. I hope we are.” 

They waited for him continue.

“And I’m more nervous than excited. We had four chances of meeting but something always happens. What if something goes wrong tomorrow too?”

***

His Dad was waiting for him to come home. He didn’t notice him at first because he was replying to Pat’s message. He asked about the practice because he is still worried despite seeing Maine act like her usual characterization of Yaya Dub, someone who is full of energy.

“Busy day?”

“Hi, Dad. Why are you still up? It’s after midnight.”

“I wanted to talk to you.” His father went to their dining room.

Richard followed and took his seat. His saw that his father’s laptop was open.

“What’s up?”

“How are you holding up, son? Are you ready for tomorrow?”

Richard chuckled. “Dad, you too? A lot of people asked me that question today.”

“You must forgive your father, RJ. It’s not everyday that one’s son is meeting his soulmate. I just want to make sure that you’re okay.”

“Soulmate?”

“Maine. She’s _Cinderella_.” He then turned his laptop to show him a picture of Maine posing at one of Candy Fair’s photo booth.


	16. #E5E4E2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers apply.
> 
> This fic is the longest piece of writing I have ever done.
> 
> Unbeta'ed. Pardon the mistakes in grammar.

_She’s Cinderella._

Richard couldn’t believe what he is hearing. “How…”

“Your fans are good when it comes to unearthing information. They even have a term for it, ‘SOCO’. I was at this forum and they were talking about your serendipitous meeting. Someone made an offhand comment that Maine would have met you at the 2011 Candy Fair if she had attended the event. That got me thinking. What if she attended the 2010 Candy Fair?”

“Dad, please don’t tell me you asked _that_ question in that forum.”

“No. Someone else did. That was last Sunday. And today, they found this picture.” Richard’s dad said, again pointing to the photo on his laptop.

“So, she was there. But why are you sure that she’s Cinderella? We might have missed each other then too.”

“Gut feels.”

“DAD!”

“Think about it, RJ. Look at how you’ve crossed paths again. Your second meeting was an accident. An accident that created a phenomenon. She is not just your ordinary co-worker.”

"Dad, if she _is_ Cinderella, why does it seem like circumstances are trying to keep us apart? Aren’t soulmates supposed to gravitate towards each other? She fainted minutes before I got to the barangay!”

“You _are_ drawn to her. Your eyes light up when she’s on screen. The last time I’ve seen your eyes like that was from before your Mom passed away.”

“Dad…” He placed an arm around his father’s shoulders. Richard knew that his mother’s death changed everyone. And even if his father has been coping well, his eyes are always sad. And his smiles also seemed a bit duller now.

“I’m okay, RJ.” His father also placed his arm around Richard’s shoulders. “Just think about what I said, okay?”

 “I would think about it Dad but that picture that our fans found only confirmed her presence at the Fair. What if I didn’t meet her then?”

 “Fine. This discussion will be moot by tomorrow. So, let’s both get some sleep.” They both headed to their respective bedrooms.

***

Richard knew he will not be able to sleep, not after that bombshell. So, he did what his father advised and _thought_.

He thought of serendipity and extraordinary meetings. Of missed opportunities and second chances. Of soulmates and bonds.

At the end, he admitted that his father was right. He has been drawn to her ever since he saw her Dubsmashes on Facebook.  _I don’t know if she is Cinderella but I want to get to know her better._

***

Richard was not the only one who wanted to meet Maine that day. When he entered the host’s room, he was surprised to see Julia, Keempee, Allan K and Pia already inside, chatting. It seems like most of the Dabarkads came in a bit earlier than their usual time, hoping to see her before the show began. They all told him that they failed to see her. And they started speculating on her whereabouts.

“They’re keeping her location a secret so you won’t see her before the show,” Ruby said from the doorway, catching Richard’s eye. She then turned back out and said to Jack, one of their production assistants who was passing by, “He’s here.”

Richard had a feeling that she was referring to him. His suspicions were confirmed when Reeza, Carr and the rest of the _Kalyeserye_ team appeared a few minutes and asked him to proceed to the meeting room for an early briefing that turned into a ruse.

Once he was inside, they told him he was confined to that room until his segment.

“I’m under house arrest?”

“Sort of. We just want to make sure you won’t bully or charm anyone into revealing where she’s rehearsing,” Reeza, floor director for today's episode, said.

“You’re harsh, guys.”

“Just following, orders Den. Sam will be here soon after the Dabarkads orientation,” Carr added.

“What orientation? You’re telling them where she is?” He pouted.

“Of course not. They’re more vulnerable to your charms. We are just going to ask them to keep an eye on you. You might ruin the episode.”

“If you tell me what’s going to happen later, I promise to follow orders,” he bargained.

"Sorry. We were told that you’ll get on the spot orientation.” With that they left him inside the meeting room. A few minutes later, Mama Ten came in carrying his things.

“They briefed you too?” Mama Ten nodded and sat across him. “Looks like they gave you the first watch, Ma.”

“I don’t agree with the strategy but I understand why they’re worried. Admit it RJ, if you knew where she is and that location is just minutes away from Broadway, you’ll try to go see her. You’ve been longing to meet her. Especially now.”

_So Dad told her. Wonder if she told him about the picture I saw?_

“No, I didn’t tell him. You clearly want to keep it a secret at the last meeting.” Mama Ten answered his unspoken question.

Richard considered Mama Ten as more than just his assistant. She’s part of his family. She witnessed all of his struggles and was there for every career milestone. She knew when to say words of encouragement and when to give him a reality check. He always liked how she can put things into perspective.

“Ma, I’m _terrified_ of meeting her.” He finally admitted. She didn’t react to his statement but she looked at him with understanding and waited for him to continue.

“Maine and I have something. What that something is, I don’t know. I spent most of last night thinking and I realized that the situation is better if she isn’t my soulmate. Right now, I’m even hoping she _isn’t_ my soulmate. That makes things easier. I can talk to her and get to know her without expectations. I can freely see where our connection leads.

It is also possible that my dilemma might be solved today. But, if I looked into her eyes today and my color vision changed then she’s the one that I _abandoned_ for five years in exchange for a career. I never thought about the effects of the bond. I should have but I didn’t. I was selfish.”

“Here you go with that mindset again. You are being too harsh on yourself. You didn’t abandon her. You made a choice based on the circumstances. And I know I am in no position to give advice on soulmates since I only see in monochrome but based on what I’ve seen from my own parents and from other people, there’s inherent understanding between soulmates. I think she will give you a chance.”

“And if she doesn’t?”

“If she doesn’t, then maybe she really is not meant for you. What did Lola Nidora say about that? Sometimes your soulmate is not meant to stay but to just give you the gift of colors?”

He nodded. Lola Nidora's right. There are cases where a relationship between soulmates don’t work. And like in any other breakups, soulmate pairs can break up amiably or unpleasantly. Then there are those who are like Richard who are looking for their soulmates because the bond manifested long after the meeting occurred.

“You should stop overthinking, RJ. Just let things happen. Everything will resolve itself.”

“That’s what I like about you, Ma. You’re optimistic.”

“I can’t let you brood. You’re going to prematurely age and when that happens, you can’t be the resident, ‘bae’, anymore.”

That made Richard laugh. It also broke the serious tension the discussion brought. Mama Ten got busy with her phone while Richard took out his tablet. He has a kingdom to defend and puzzles to solve.

***

“So, do you think, today’s the day, Alden?” Sam asked him. They were waiting for their respective cues backstage. In the background they can hear Ruby, Keempee and Julia deliver their opening spiels.

“I don’t know, Sam.”

“Do you want it to be?”

“Honest answer? I don’t know.”

“I understand that, Papi. The status quo will change once you’ve seen her face-to-face. And that can be terrifying.”

At that moment, Richard was reminded of Sam’s serious side. He has great insight into people. Shortly after that, they heard Kempee introduce _That’s My Bae_.

“And that’s my cue to go to my spot.”

 

He expected that Sam will rib him during the segment but Sam only commented on his appearance. Their staff were the ones who wrote on the idiot board (and they asked Sam to say) that “ _someone_ is now watching backstage.”  

“Thanks, Sam.”

“Don’t mention it. But you now owe me. I won’t hold back once you finally meet her.”

“Deal.” He stuck out his hand for Sam to shake then they both headed towards the meeting room Richard is confined to. They met the _Kalyeserye_ crew at the door of the meeting room.

“I’m going back to the host’s room since they look like they need you for the orientation. Just remember, Papi, everyone’s rooting for you.”

 

"Alden, if Maine was your soulmate, what would you do to meet her?" Jenny asked once they were all seated inside the meeting room. He was taken aback by the question.

 _What? Why is she saying this? Is this another sign? Does she know?_ Richard started to sweat. He wanted to hide the panic he is now feeling. So he clarified the question.

_"What do you mean, Ms. Jenny?_

_"I want you to put yourself in the shoes of your character. What are you willing to do?"_

He said the first thing that came to mind. _"Anything."_

_“Alright. That settles it. Then please prepare. There’s going to be a challenge from Lola Nidora. Meeting her will depend on the results.”_

***

Richard met  Lola Nidora at Broadway’s artist entrance. She had to travel from the barangay in Quezon City to Broadway to supervise the challenge. She came with her Rogelios who were asked to guard Alden.

Lola noticed the sign Richard was holding, _“I believe in ‘forever’ =)”_.

“What ‘forever’? Give me that sign.” She tore the sign away from Richard’s hands. “You said you are ready to accept my challenge. Are you really ready?” Richard nodded.

She then turned to address the camera. “LISTEN TO ME EVERYONE.”

_“I am not the villain in this story!. I just want Yaya to have the best in everything and that includes a relationship that will last._

_Just because you think you have that connection then you would rush headlong into a relationship. Nothing that is worth having is achieved in an instant. If you really want to something, you must invest time, perseverance and hard work. We live in a fast-paced world but bonds and relationships are not like instant noodles. That goes for soulmates and non-soulmates. If you want a bond that would last and a love that is ‘forever’, it has to be nurtured._

_Remember that everything will happen at the **proper time**.” _

She then turned back to Richard. _“Let’s go.”_

With Lola Nidora on the lead, the Rogelios forcibly brought him to the props area.

 _“See this dunk tank, Alden?”_ He nodded.

_“In my time, potential suitors prove their worth by doing manual for the family. All you do now is smile and Dubsmash. What kind of relationship will you two have? Prove your sincerity and I might be convinced to let you see her today and see if you are soulmates._

_Prove your sincerity by filling this dunk tank with water. Right now, the tank is more than half full. I want it filled to the brim._

_So, Alden, can you do it?”_

In response, Richard Dubsmashed Sugarfree’s _Makita Kang Muli_.

“Let's see what you got. Go! And while you are doing that, here’s YAYA DUB!”

The Rogelios let him go and Richard started doing the challenge. In the background, he faintly heard some music.

_Focus, RJ. Tune it out. If you get distracted, you won’t finish. As you can see, Lola Nidora’s using a dipper to reduce the amount of water in the tank. You have to hurry._

The tank’s almost full when the crew gave the signal. Lola Nidora gave her own signal and Richard ran back to the studio. The audience was already screaming. When he got inside the studio he looked around. The lights were still dim and the smoke used in the performance was still dissipating. He saw her shoe and picked it up. The audience were all gesturing for him to leave so he mouthed, “where?”

They pointed to his left. The spotlights were making it difficult to see who the audience was pointing at but he thought he saw a flash of blue and a vague outline of a face. He ran after her.

***

He was still sitting on stairs of the artist’s entrance in his dripping clothes and clutching Maine’s shoe 20 minutes after _Kalyeserye_ ended. He wanted to stay sitting on the road but Eat Bulaga’s security told him to move because they might not be able to control the crowd.

They gave her a 30 second head start. He thought he could still catch her but apparently, she’s light footed. The crowd outside the studio didn’t help. He almost tripped trying to avoid several people followed him when he gave chase.

He saw a towel in his peripheral vision. It was Mama Ten.

“Change clothes. I know you still want to mope but do it after you change. Remember that you’re prone to colds.”

“Cinderella.”

“Excuse me?”

“You saw her performance, Ma. The theme was Cinderella right?”

“Sort of.”

“ _‘She’s Cinderella.’_ Those were Dad’s exact words last night. Who would have thought she’s literally Cinderella today?” He stood up to go back to the studio. Mama Ten silently followed.

He met Sam, Pia, Julia and Ruby at the door to the host’s room. They were on their way back to the studio for the final part of _Eat Bulaga._

The closing spiels totally slipped his mind. He gave the group an apologetic look. Sam just gave him a pat on the shoulder. “We understand.”

The others gave him pats on the shoulder too. “We really thought this was the right time for the both of you,” Julia said. Pia and Ruby nodded in agreement.

After a quick shower, he went back to the host’s room for a few of his things. Joey was there.

“How are you, Den? I saw how frustrated you were today.”

“I really thought they’ll let me meet her today. I thought since I didn’t meet her last Saturday because of the accident, they’ll apply the original plan to today’s show. I guess they had other plans.” He sighed.

“I admit that was great TV especially when they had her escape by standing on the footboard of a jeepney but I’ve seen how this is affecting you. And then you still have to handle your issues with your soulmate... how are you handling the stress?”

“I’ll be okay, Tito Jo. I just need to process some things.”

“Vic will be here tomorrow. Do you want to talk?”

“Maybe next time, Tito Jo? I need to work out something by myself first.” _Like how would I feel if she really_ **_is_ ** _Cinderella._


	17. #414a4c

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everything's from my imagination.

Later that night, he watched the replay of the day’s episode. He wanted to see Maine’s  _ Bulaga Pa More  _ performance _. _ Just as he guessed, her performance was Cinderella inspired. And she looked the part. He couldn’t stop staring at her.  _ Your really looked like a princess, Maine. _

He chuckled when she imitated him while Dubsmashing  _ his _ signature  _ Kalyeserye _ songs. His heart still raced when he saw just how their almost meeting played out onscreen.  _ No wonder Tito Joey commented it looked great on TV.  _ Then he saw himself sitting on the curb, looking lost.

_ The audience were not the only ones who went through a roller coaster of emotions today. _

Their audience took social media to express how they felt.The hashtag for the day has generated hundreds of thousands of tweets. He has received a deluge of replies to his Twitter and Instagram posts. He was sure Maine did too. He tried to read some of the comments the amount was too much. He was ready to stop lurking on social media but one post caught his eye.

> _ Was there eye contact between Yaya and Alden? POV on http://g.xyz.345 _

He noticed that most of the replies to the post expressed agreement so he clicked on the link. It took him to a blog that thoroughly examines the show. The blog post had a clip of the moment mentioned in the title. The writer said that eye contact is improbable and used a slowed down version of the video and screenshots to prove the argument. The other entries are about Lola Nidora’s motivations and possible back story, Alden’s ‘secret’, and the chances that Yaya Dub and Alden are soulmates.

Richard has never seen this level of involvement from TV viewers of a local show. He felt overwhelmed.  _ I never thought Kalyeserye will have this much impact. _

He wondered how Maine was feeling.  _ Did you think our spontaneous reactions that day would bring this type of attention? I didn’t. When I was asked to sit inside the studio, I said yes because I wanted to see you on a bigger screen. _

He wasn’t lying to Mama Ten earlier. He did feel terrified of the change in status quo (Sam was correct). But he also felt excitement at finally seeing her and ending the month-long split screen interaction and disappointment when it didn’t happen.

_ Mom, you are better at this. You are the romantic, the one who told us about soulmates filling all the holes of a person. I don’t know what to make of these things. Dad insists that she’s the one while I can’t seem to make that leap of faith. Not yet. _

 

The next day marked as AlDub’s 4th weeksary and when Richard arrived at Broadway, a Mickey Mouse and a Minnie Mouse plushie were waiting for him inside the hosts’ room. There was a note left by their production staff:

_ To: Alden and Maine _

_ From: the unofficial AlDub fanclub, CALABARZON chapter _

_ Unofficial Fanclub? And this fanclub has chapters? _ Richard was amazed. Official fan clubs are usually established per artist and are managed by the talent agency the actor or actress belongs to. In Richard’s case, his sole official fanclub is managed by the artist center department of his home network, GMA. Being in a fan club has benefits like getting prioritized when it comes to getting tickets for an artist’s events, shows and other appearances or being invited to meet and greet events. Official fan clubs are also supported by the talent agency when they the fan club is spearheading a project. It’s rare for a pair to have a fan club. That’s because most pairs end up working on just one or two series. Sustaining a fan club for a pair doesn’t have long-term value since fan tastes can change quickly.

_ Wonder how many members does this unofficial fanclub have? Since this is from one chapter, does that mean there are others? _

_ *** _

_ Don’t look at her reaction on the screen. Focus, RJ. Look at her picture. Focus. Dubsmash. Act like you are talking to someone. _

Those thoughts kept on running through Richard’s head while he was pretending to be on a date. The crew set up a table with street food. They positioned the camera to only show him talking to someone. The writers wanted to imply that he was on a date with another (he doubted the audience will fall for the trick). He can hear the panel teasing Maine with Lola gloating and saying, "I told you so" in the background. Frankie was also smug. He had to control his reaction. Cheating was something he can never condone and seeing her get mad and then hurt at his seeming callousness made him want to comfort her and beg for forgiveness. But he knew he couldn’t. The writers emphasized that during the orientation.

After several more minutes, the FD gave him a signal. This signal means the camera will now reveal the identity of Richard’s “date”.  _ Finally!  _ He looked at the camera and gave her a smile. He also showed her the stuffed toys the fans gave them. Maine’s face break into grin.

_ "Fine. I was mistaken earlier. But that doesn’t change the fact that Alden failed my challenge. He didn’t have the stamina. Frankie is still the better option. He still has my approval." _

In reply to Lola Nidora’s criticism he started to show the fansigns he wrote earlier.

_ I’m not giving up. _

He followed that with, "You are  **my** winner." The winner of yesterday’s  _ Bulaga Pa More _ was announced before  _ Kalyeserye.  _ While he knew Patricia’s performance yesterday had stunts which upped the difficulty level, he still hoped the drama their almost-meetup caused was enough to sway the audience.  _ I wished she won so I could meet her on Saturday. _

Maine gave him an embarrassed smile said her thanks through her own fansign (she’s replying in real time).

_ "Those are just words, Alden. Not enough!" _ Lola insisted. She tried to block his view of Maine.

_ I will wait for our chance.  _ He saw her nod and on her board was, _"_ _ We will overcome this." _

_ "Do you really want to meet Yaya, Alden? Are you ready to take my challenges more seriously?" _

He nodded, again putting up his,  _ "I’m not giving up," _ sign.

_ “Promise?” _

He raised his right hand when he saw her question. She in turn stretch her hand to the camera. Her right pinky was raised.

_**Pinky swear?** She wants us to pinky swear on the promise? _

He raised his right pinky and stretched his hand to the camera. They almost completed the promise when Lola Nidora interrupted them again.

_ "So, you think if you both do a pinky swear, it will be enough? Time will tell, young man. I am still not convinced of your sincerity. You will never finish any of my challenges --” _

Richard cut her off by raising another sign.  _ #ALDUB YOU. _ He hid behind the sign as he was a little embarrassed.  _ She might see it as something that’s too bold. _

Maine surprised him by matching what he said in terms of boldness.  _ MAALDEN KITA _ .

He was impressed. _ That was witty. _

Lola, as expected, reacted.  _ “You two never learn do you? There you go again with these expressions of devotion. What’s your foundation? Kilig?” _

Suddenly sirens were heard. Frankie, who was mostly ignored today called someone on his phone. Lola Nidora was still a fugitive so, believing the sirens are for her, ran. This time, Maine ran with her.

Richard saw from his screen how the crowd seemed to engulf the two. They had bodyguards but there were too many people. He worried about both Wally and Maine’s safety so he looked to his camera crew and tried to convey that worry to them (he took advantage of the few seconds he was offscreen).

The bodyguards and the barangay marshalls were able to finally manage the crowd. Lola Nidor and Maine stopped running when they heard the sound of the garbage truck that signifies the end of the episode. After a recap by “Gasgas Abelgas” (another character done by Jose), the episode for the day ended.

“We are still on stand by, Den. There’s still the final shots after the  _ Bayanihan _ segment.”

He nodded. They mostly let him alone. His thoughts went back to the pinky swear.

He hasn’t done a pinky swear in **_years_**. For him, pinky swears are special. His Mom said that if you want to show that you are serious on your promise, you will do a pinky swear. She would always tell them that linking your pinky fingers create a connection between the people making the promise.

_ Did you grow up believing in the power of a pinky swear, too, Maine? Even if our hands did not physically connected, I will fulfill my promise. I won't give up. _

After the end of  _ Eat Bulaga _ , Malou Choa-Fagar, the executive producer approached him. Jenny was with her.

“Alden, there’s going to be a slight change of agenda for the meeting tomorrow.”

Richard knew that they will discuss his new  _ Eat Bulaga _ contract and his upcoming schedule tomorrow. Becoming a regular on  _ Eat Bulaga _ meant that some of his other activities and projects had to be re-arranged so his absences on the noontime show would be minimal.

“What do you mean, Ma’am Malou?”

“We will still talk about your new contract. But first, we - you, us, and your management - need to talk about what is happening to you and to Eat Bulaga. We have to talk about the effects of AlDub.”

“Ma’am, if we are going to talk about the effects of AlDub, shouldn’t we include Maine in the discussion? She’s part of it too. We both are.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Aldub you" is a pun on "I love you".
> 
> "Maalden kita" is a pun on "Mahal din kita," which is Filipino for "I love you too." Maine used Alden's name (that why he thinks it's witty).
> 
> Oh, and that link does not exist.


	18. #536878

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fiction. Everything's from my imagination.
> 
> Remember, Alden's career choices here are slightly different. Also, in the real world, the Niyogyugan Festival happened on a Wednesday and not a Thursday.

Mama Ten handed him a folder the next morning. “Sam wanted to give this to you last night but I told him you were too tired to look at numbers.” Richard was in Quezon last night. He was the special guest for the province’s Niyogyugan Festival. Because of the distance and traffic, he got home past midnight.

He opened the folder and flipped through the pages. The folder contained graphs, charts and some notes. He looked at one graph.  _ Fanclub membership per month. _

“Is this serious, Ma? Membership jumped to 300% in July?”

“If you don’t believe the numbers, you will hear about it at the presentation later. Sam’s just giving you a heads up.”

***

"Alden, tea or coffee?" Vic asked him.  _ Kalyeserye  _ has ended and he was back at the hosts’ room waiting for the end of the commercial break. He still needed to announce the winner for  _ That’s My Bae _ . 

"Hot tea, Bossing," he answered truthfully.

Vic nodded then left the room leaving Richard to wonder if there was a punchline to the question.

 

He found out the reason for Vic’s random question after the show.

"Den, you have some free time today, right? Before the meeting?"

Richard was again reminded that TVJ are not just hosts but are part of the management of  _ Eat Bulaga _ (even if they do not hold official titles). It’s not surprising that they knew about the meeting.

"Yes, Tito Sen. I was just going to review some scripts before the meeting."

"Good. Let’s go have coffee, er, tea, in your case," Vic said. "Pauleen found a place that’s near enough to GMA. According to their website, they also serve different types of tea."

Richard wanted to ask them questions but he figured they would explain the reason why he is invited to tea/coffee later. “Okay, Bossing. If you give me the address, I’ll meet you there. Or are we travelling in a convoy?"

"No, that would just be a waste of gas. We are taking my car and you are riding with us. Tell your driver to just meet you at GMA later," Joey clarified.

He nodded. "I’ll tell Mama Ten and Kuya Eric."

"Meet us at the parking lot in 15."

***

He didn’t want to make TVJ wait so he tried to finish all his tasks in less than 15 minutes. He got to the parking lot with a couple of minutes to spare.

Richard offered to drive while Vic rode shotgun so he could give him directions (they were using Waze but sometimes human memory is better). The 20-minute drive was mostly spent in silence. Tito and Joey were busy with their phones while Vic would occasionally ask him random questions.

When they got to the cafe, they were given the table that is far from the other customers. They got a few glances when they got in though no one dared ask for a selfie.

After they gave their orders, Joey said, “I know you said you have to work things out first and we respect that, but we would like to know how are you feeling about all of the things happening to you, professionally.”

“I think it’s safe to say no one really expected all these to snowball. My staff at the Senate kept asking me questions about  _ Kalyeserye _ , Alden and Yaya Dub.”

“It hasn’t really sunk in, Tito Sen and Tito Jo. Mama Ten showed me some numbers this morning and I’ve been lurking around social media but it still feels like they are not happening to me.”

“How do you picture the story to end, Alden?” Vic asked him.

The waiter arrived with their orders so they spent a few minutes just sipping their drinks. That also allowed Richard to think of his answer to Vic’s question.

“I… I want them to end up on one side of the split screen. I want them to get to know each other and see where that leads.”

“Do you want them to be soulmates?” Joey inquired. “And in the interest of full disclosure, Jenny never told us when she initially brought up the idea of creating a segment involving you two.”

“And once the story started, we told her to not reveal anything. We wanted to be surprised too,” Vic added.

“I think, Tito Joey, even if they would find out that they are not soulmates once they meet, Alden will give it a shot. He definitely wants to get to know the woman behind the apron.”

“What about Alden and Maine?”

“Tito Sen, I also want to get to know the woman behind the character.”

While the possibility of Maine being Cinderella is still not far from Richard’s mind, he still looks forward to meeting her. He genuinely wants to get to know Maine. For him, she one of a kind, someone who broke the mold of a typical actress. In show business, perfection is expected - you have to look right, do the right projects, and mix with the right people. It what’s made show business an exhausting thing for him. Yes, he has the right “tisoy” look. But most of his projects run contrary to what roles the audience expects him to play. He can count on one hand the roles where his character survives at the end of the series (even if he **_is_** the lead character). His showbiz social circle might be large (he gets along with most of the people he has worked with and attends mandatory events), but he only calls a select few friends. Early on his career, he found out that actors are a gossipy bunch and they tend to overshare. (He found out the color status of most of his co-stars within a month of taping.)

Richard then noticed Tito, Vic and Joey exchanged a look that he couldn’t really interpret. The topic then switched to the his current and future projects.

“Den, what’s your official status? How does your management contract classify your situation?” Tito asked while placing a short brown envelope on the table.

“In between.”

“That’s the first time I heard that classification. Usually it’s either ‘bonded’ or ‘unbonded’.”

“They can’t give me the full benefits for bonded artists since I can’t verify the identity of my soulmate. But some of the clauses for those who are unbonded do not apply to me. So, they put me in another status.”

“Neither bonded or unbonded. In between.” Vic said.

“Then, you might be able to use this.” Tito passed the envelope to him.

Richard opened it to see a document.  _ Application for a Soulmate Quest _ .

“Soulmate Quest?” He looked at Tito for an explanation.

“Fancy name but this document will allow you to ask for information. It will protect your privacy. It will also allow you to request for say, a change in your management contract without any liabilities on your part.”

“Tito, is there really a document for when you are looking for your soulmate?” Joey asked. “Sounds like something from a story.”

“One of my staff members actually got the idea from a romance novel. The hero had to submit an application to the king so he would release him from his service to search for his soulmate. 

I told my staff that I want to explore the possibility of amending a few of the laws for soulmates so I asked them to research historical laws. This is one of the laws adapted by the United Nations way back when it started . And we’ve checked, we have an equivalent law. Historic but it hasn’t been repealed.”

“Thank you, Tito Sen. I’ll keep this in mind.”

Vic looked at his watch. “I think we have a meeting to go to. I’ll just settle the bill.” He went to the counter to pay.

“We?”  _ They’re going with me? _

“We’re going with you, Den.” Joey confirmed. He got up to follow Vic.

“Remember, Den. This is just a discussion and your opinion matters. There would be more meetings afterward.” Tito advised.

***

Richard was still surprised at the number of people attending the meeting. His management team and the team from Eat Bulaga were discussing something when they arrived. Then he saw Mike Tuviera seated next to Annette Gozon. Both are presidents of their respective film companies and are children of the big bosses of TAPE and GMA. TVJ went to take their seats (there were name cards). He looked for his own place and read more names (the head of the PR department of the network, the program head, the head of the Artist Center,...).

He sat between his handler and Direk Pat. “Will she be here today, Ate Pat?”

Pat knew exactly who he is referring to. “Her management team is attending the meeting.” Pat said pointing to the team from Triple A, Maine’s talent agency. Richard recognized them too.

“Oh.”  _ She really should be here. This affects her. She’s my partner. _

“Mr. T is probably introducing her to Mr. Gozon. Jenny’s with her along with her handler.  Since you can’t be in the same room, GMA set up a feed. I’m leaving to keep her company. Oreo too.

“What do you mean? She’s here?”

“Yes. Though I am glad she’s not here in this room. The amount of people here can be intimidating for Maine. She takes time warming up to people.”

The door to the meeting room opened and Antonio Tuviera, the president of TAPE and Felipe Gozon, the president of GMA entered along with Jenny Ferre.

“That’s my cue to leave.” Pat said. “We will be listening and watching.”

 

Once both presidents took their seats, the meeting began. 

“Good afternoon, everyone. I’m Jenny Ferre, the creative head of  _ Eat Bulaga.  _ But first, allow me to also introduce another participant in this meeting.” She hit a button on the Polycom system next to her. “Maine?”

“Hello, Ms. Jenny.”

When he heard her, his heart skipped a beat. Her voice was low and melodious. He could listen to it for  _ ages. _ Technically, it’s not the first time he has heard her voice since he watched her other YouTube videos and saw her interview for the show,  _ Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho. _ However, this is the first time he heard her voice since they’ve started this.  _ And it’s live _ .

“I apologize for the set-up but I hope you will all understand. We want to keep the integrity of the story. Now let’s talk about AlDub. Here are some numbers...”

Two hours later, Richard felt like he was drowning in information. Representatives from GMA and TAPE quantified the effects of  _ Kalyeserye _ . They talked of increase in terms of ratings, advertising revenue, social media footprint. They talked of an increase in inquiries for fanclub memberships (plus a request for an official AlDub fanclub). They also mentioned endorsement offers from big companies. The presentations were accompanied by graphs and charts. It was enough to make someone’s head spin.

He opened his phone and sent a message to Direk Pat.  _ This is too overwhelming, Ate Pat. Information overload. How’s Maine handling it? _

_ As overwhelmed as you are. Kept on saying, “Is this real, Ate Pat?” _

_ How did we even manage to do this in a month? _

_ Maine’s asking the same question. _

 

“Tony and I,” Felipe Gozon said, “wanted to hold this meeting so we can see the entire picture. The last pair that caught the fascination of the entire country was Guy and Pip. We thought we need to talk about how to handle this.”

“From all indications, this is turning into a phenomenon. And the numbers are still projected to increase. If we don’t talk about this and formulate a strategy, it might blow up to our faces.” Tony Tuviera handled.

“Well, Alden still has a management contract with the Artist Center. How do you suggest we handle all of the requests for endorsements and appearances? Together?”

That sparked an intense discussion between the two management teams. Triple A is loosely affiliated to the network while the Artist Center is exclusive to the network. As the possibility of one transferring to the other agency is off the table, talk turned to other options.

Tony Tuviera interrupted the impending debate between the two teams. “Before we can draft a plan for managing the careers of Alden and Maine, we must first talk about the plans for  _ Kalyeserye _ . Jenny, when are you planning on letting the two meet?”

Richard was very interested in the answer to the question.

“Soon. Really soon. As you’ve seen in today’s episode, Alden has to finish some challenges first.”

“Can you give us a timeline?” The question as asked by Annette Gozon.

“Max of three months, I think. Though, the pace of the story is based from the feedback we get from the audience”

_ Three months? We won’t see each other for three more months? Or will those three months be spent ‘almost meeting’ each other? Will I even survive the next three months if that will be the case? _

“And are we going to hold, say the endorsement offers, at bay for three months? No company would say yes to that request even if the two are the most talked about talents today.” There were murmurs of agreement to the comment made by the Artist Center head.

“How about challenging the companies and their ad agencies? Endorsements will be accepted but they must abide with the rule that Alden and Maine can’t shoot the commercial together until they have officially met.” Mike Tuviera suggested.

“That can work, Direk,” the head of Triple A said. “We could also do the same thing for the magazine cover offers.”

“Alden has a film to finish within the next three months. Some of the locations are out of the city,” his manager reminded everyone.

While he was in the US last June, Richard received a call from Peter San Sebastian. He offered him a role on his latest indie film - a chef who, in his desire to inherit their family restaurant, goes on a journey to find the recipe requested by his estranged grandfather.

Richard wanted to work with Peter again (Iris Castro is again writing the screenplay) so he said yes to the film. Back then, his August schedule was pretty free. Now, his filming schedule would mean several absences from  _ Eat Bulaga. _

“Yes, we’ve taken that into consideration. Though we need to talk about the other dates later.” Jenny answered.

“We have a suggestion.” Joey stated.

Richard paid attention to Joey.  _ They haven’t said a word to this discussion. Tito Sen and Bossing have just been quietly listening while Tito Joey would occasionally fiddle with his phone. _

“This is an eye-opening discussion for everyone. We’ve learned a lot of things today and from the looks of it, we still have a lot of things to discuss. But come on, it’s been three hours. We should all take a break.” Tito started.

“And while we are on break, I think you should all consider the opinion of the two people who are more involved in this than any of us,” Vic pointed to Alden’s direction and then to the Polycom. “Alden and Maine.”

In unison, everyone turned to Richard. He remembered what Tito said before they left the cafe.

“To be honest, hearing about the statistics is overwhelming. I never realize that our actions on the show would result to those numbers. Do we really affect that many people?

And I know, that decisions regarding  _ Kalyeserye  _ and our careers have to be done soon. Before that happens and before I say what I think about those decisions, I want to ask for permission. Ms. Jenny, Mr. Tuviera, please let me talk to Maine about this.” (there was a faint “Ha?” heard on the Polycom).

Before Jenny could react, Joey said, “That seems like a fair request. As Vic said, they are involved and should have a say.”

“I’m not asking for a face to face meeting,” Richard clarified. “I’m okay talking to her over the phone, but I hope you could allow us to talk in private. You could even lock me inside the another room.”

“I don’t see a problem with that request too, Jenny.” Tony agreed.

“Okay. But let’s see if she’s okay with the request. Maine?” Jenny spoke to the Polycom.

“Yes, Ms. Jenny?”

“You heard Alden. What do you say?”

“Maine, I really hope I can talk to you.” Richard requested.  _ Please say yes. _

“Okay.”

Richard thought she sounded unsure but it looked like Jenny accepted the answer at face value. Arrangements on the room were quickly made. The rest of the participants agreed to take a break too (arrangements for dinner were made in advance and the food was ready to be served).

Once the room was ready, his handler accompanied him to the room to make sure he wouldn’t attempt to find where Maine was.

“Pat is going to call you once they are ready. Dinner for you will be delivered here shortly and I’ll come back to get you after 30 minutes.” He left him inside the room.

Richard spent the next few minutes in anticipation.  _ How will I talk to her? Should I go straight to the point or make small talk? _

He almost dropped his phone when he felt it vibrate. Before answering, he checked the door (he locked it). He then placed the phone on the table, hit the _‘answer’_ button and placed  the phone on speaker mode.

“Hello?”

“Hello, Den. They said you need to talk to someone?”

“Hi, Ate Pat. I’m ready if she is.” He can hear Ate Pat say in the background, “you can talk to him”. 

“Hello?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Soulmate pairs have been targeted at every war since killing one would be a form of torture for the other (generals have fallen because of broken bonds). WWII was especially cruel to soulmate pairs. So, when the UN General Assembly discussed the atrocities committed during the war, they also tackled the fate of soulmates and how they can protect them better. There was even a debate on soulmate registration since that was how Nazi Germany rounded up soulmate pairs. Old laws were researched on and some of them were adapted to fit the modern age.
> 
> 2\. Peter and Iris were first mentioned in Chapter 3.


	19. #979AAA

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter. Mostly dialogue.
> 
> Standard disclaimers apply.
> 
> Edit: 11/18 - modified the hex codes mentioned in their conversation. Six F's would mean white and not black.

"Hi, Maine. Since we’ve never been formally introduced, let me do that first. I’m Richard Faulkerson Jr. but to a lot of people, I am known by my screen name, Alden Richards."

"Hello, Richard? Or would you prefer Alden?”

“Whatever you’re comfortable with. I answer to either names.”

“Do you have a nickname aside from those two?”

“RJ. My family calls me RJ.”

“I see… Um, it’s my turn, right? Hi, Alden. I’m Maine. Well, it’s actually Nicomaine Dei Mendoza, but I am rarely called by my full name."

“Nicomaine Dei…”

“Weird, I know. Consequence of being the fourth child to have an ‘N-D’ pattern in the family.”

“No, not weird. More, _unique_.”

“That’s just a nice word for weird.”

“It suits you. You’re surprising and unexpected.”

There was silence. Richard thought he might have frightened her with that statement so he tried to think of a “safer” question. _Since she asked for my nickname…_

“Do you have another nickname, Maine?”

“Meng. Or Menggay. That was my childhood nickname.”

“My Mom used to call me ‘Tisoy’.”

“Of course. That nickname definitely suits you.”

There was another moment of silence. _Quick, RJ think of a topic!_

“Maine?”

“Yes?”

“Did they deliver food to you? Sam, my handler, said they would.”

“Yes."

"Do you have any food allergies?”

“Not that I know of. You?”

“Same. Go ahead and have a bite, Maine. Whoever arranged for the food chose a good restaurant.”

“You should eat too.”

Richard could hear the faint sounds of the food container being opened. He did the same thing and ate a spoonful.

“Do you like it?”

“You’re right. This is delicious.”

“What’s your favorite food?”

“Laksa? Or maybe ramen? I can’t really decide but I love eating both. What’s your least favorite food?”

“I’m not a picky eater but I really try to avoid menudo.”

“Menudo? Why? You don’t like liver?”

“No. Let’s say I had a bad experience with the dish.”

“Sounds like an interesting story.”

Richard was going to tell her the story when he heard a knock. “Maine, excuse me, someone’s at the door. I’ll just see who is there.”

He opened it to see Sam and Pat. He went out of the room and checked his watch.

“I still have 20 minutes!”

“Technically, you only have 18. We are just here to remind you of the time.” Sam said.

“Everyone’s still enjoying their break but I suggest you maximize your remaining minutes, Den and talk about the _important_ stuff. You might not have another opportunity.” Richard had a feeling that Pat knew he has been beating around the bush. _Well, you can’t really blame me if I want her to relax. I can barely hear her at first. She sounded timid and unsure when she said hello._

“I will, Ate Pat. Thanks for the reminder. But since you’ve taken 5 minutes from our time, can I get an extension?" He did his “kicked puppy” expression.

“Hmmph. That won’t work, Alden. However, since Maine is involved, I’ll see what I can do.” Pat and Sam then left him and he went back inside. “Maine?”

“Yes?”

“Sorry about that. Ate Pat and Sam were just telling me something.”

“Oh? Did they need us back at the meeting?”

“No. We still have time.”

“I see.”

“Maine?”

“Yes?”

“How are you really feeling right now? They told us a lot of things today.”

“Disbelief? I couldn’t believe a lot of people care about a mere Yaya. They told me yesterday that the agency is going to set up a fan club! Why? But I do understand why people like you and root for you.”

“Ha?”

“You’re Prince Charming.”

“I disagree. They root for you. You are the main character. And I am not surprised at the fan club. People admire you. They admire you for your talent.”

“How can you call pulling a myriad of ugly faces a ‘talent’? How can they admire someone who look like me?"

“It is. And you are **not** ugly, Maine. You’re a beauty."

She didn’t answer. _Crap. Good job, RJ. You’ve made it awkward again. She gets conscious when you are complimenting her. Ask her another question. Change the topic. Distract her._

“Favorite color?” _RJ! What kind of question is that?_ The voice in his head now sound like his mother. _You will offend her is she can’t see colors._ “What I mean is your favorite shade.”

“Ah. Let’s see. Four F’s, double zero”

Richard opened his phone and accessed the Index. “Ah.”

“You?”

“Black. Six zeros.”

"A lot of people like black.”

“I like the simplicity of the color."

“Alden? How do _you_ feel? Are you happy?”

_Am I happy?_

He thought about all the things that happened in the past 4 weeks (5 weeks if you count the first time he saw her on television wearing her apron) - meeting her via split screen, exchanging Dubsmashes and fansigns, getting kidnapped, stopping the wedding and almost meeting her in person on four separate occasions. _Am I happy?_

_I’ve been through different emotions these past 4 weeks but overall?_

"Yes. Yes, I’m happy, Maine." _I look forward to going to work every day thanks to you._

"I’m glad."

"Are you happy, Maine?"

Her answer took time too.

"I am. I’m happy."

“Glad that you are too. Maine, what do you want us to do?”

"Do?"

"You heard what they said. They mentioned a lot of possible activities for both of us. What do you think about those?”

“I...am not sure. I admit this has been my secret dream - appearing on TV, on commercials and on billboards but I thought that dream’s too farfetched. I don’t think I’m talented enough to make it.”

“Maine…”

"But if they are serious and the things they mentioned today are not hypothetical then I... would like to... try doing them. "

He nodded then realized she couldn’t see him. "Alright. Then that’s what we are going to do."

“You want to do them too?”

“Like you, I want to try. I’ve done some of the things they mentioned before but I have this feeling that these things are going to be different. And I---”

Someone knocked on the door again. Richard also heard the same thing from Maine’s side.

“Don’t hang up, Maine and bring the phone when you open your door!” He pleaded before opening the door. Before Sam could say anything, he said, “Five more minutes, please,” then closed the door again.

He then said the same thing to Pat who was probably the person standing in front of Maine’s door.

Maine giggled. “Alden, Ate Pat actually said we have about 10 minutes.”

“Oh.” He could feel a blush coming. _What do they say about assumptions, RJ?_

“So?”

“So?”

“You got cut off. Earlier.”

“Ah, that. I just want to say…" _I want to do these upcoming projects with you. I want to see you on a commercial, on a magazine and on a billboard. And I want to support you._ Richard thought he might make the situation awkward again. So, he edited his thoughts.

"I look forward to working on more projects with you, Maine. And please don’t think that your are alone in this. We are a team. Even if we are not allowed to meet yet. And if you get overwhelmed, you can tell me. Maybe you can leave a note somewhere, even if it’s just an emoticon."

He didn’t get a reply. “It’s okay to be skeptical, Maine but I really mean it. Pinky swear.” He raised his finger even if she can’t see it.

“Pinky swear?”

“Pinky swear. And since you can’t see me, I’m getting a witness.” He once again opened the door. Just as he suspected, Sam was loitering around the hallway. “Sam!”

“Oh, are you done? You still have a few minutes.”

Richard pulled Sam inside the room. He closed the door. “Maine, Sam is here. Sam, tell her what you see.”

“Your pinky finger is raised.”

“Thanks, Sam. Maine, pinky swear.”

“Her pinky finger is raised too, Den.” Pat said. He realized she also called a witness. “Now, I hope you are not swearing to secretly meet or something.”

Richard protested. So did Maine.

“Relax. I trust you both. Do you want me to count so you can finish the pinky swear?"

"Pinky swears over the phone?"

"Sam, they do split screen pinky swears. They can do this over the phone. So, on three. One. Two. Three." Richard did the gesture that completed the promise.

"Now that you have sworn over some secret thing, do you still have things to talk about or are you ready to join the meeting?”

“Are you both willing to give us a few extra minutes if we say, ‘no’?” Richard countered.

“Fine. Final extension. Sam, set your phone timer to 5 minutes. When that runs out, we will open the door and bring you back to the meeting room even if you are in the middle of a conversation.” Pat declared. She and Sam synchronized their timers. They both hit the start button before leaving the room.

_Last 5 minutes, RJ. What do you still want to say to her? What if this is your last chance to talk to her before they officially let you meet on Kalyeserye?_

“Maine, do you believe in soulmates?” _What the--? RJ!_ His mother’s voice was back. _I raised you better than that!_

He tried to salvage the situation. “Ignore the question, Maine. That was inappropriate and you don’t need to answer. I was way out of line. I’m really sorry! I don’t have any explanation for why I asked that in the first place. And if you want to end this conversation, I would understand. But I hope you will let me make it up to you?” he babbled.

As the silence stretched on, he mentally berated himself. _You might have potentially ruined your working relationship, idiot._ "I’m sorry. I’m going to get Sam now." He was going to open the door when Maine’s voice stopped him."

“How?”

“How? How would I make it up to you? Thank you, Maine! I usually have a better sense than that.”

“How would you make it up to me? We can’t see each other.”

“How about a question for a question? You can ask me anything, even a soulmate-related one.” _I trust you, Maine. I am willing to tell you my secrets._

“Okay. A friend sent me a picture today. I can’t remember having that picture taken and the picture is a bit blurry but I’m pretty sure that I was in that picture. So, my question is, were you a Candy Cutie in 2010?”

To say he felt blindsided was an understatement. _Picture? What picture?_ But before he can answer the question, the door opened and an alarm can be heard. Their time was up.

“No!”

“A deal is a deal, Den,” Sam said.

“Sorry, Maine, Den, but Jenny is already looking for you both.” Pat explained.

“The answer is no?” Maine asked in a soft voice.

“What? No, Maine! I mean, _yes!_ The answer is yes.” Richard quickly said.

“Den, sorry. We have to end the call. Bye."

Maine also said goodbye while he was still trying to explain.

”Maine, the answer to the question is yes! Pinky swear on this too!”

He didn’t know if Maine still heard him because the line got cut off. So, he opened his messaging app.  _Please tell her that the answer is yes. Please, Ate Pat._

He waited for a reply with bated breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Worldbuilding notes:
> 
> In the 1950s a French scientist, Dimitri Moreau created a classification system for the different tints and shades of colors. She standardized the names of colors and assigned codes (and people who can only see shades and tints of black, white and grey would use the codes instead of the names). She was responsible for the updated version of the Index of Colors (or the Index), a book that contains swatches of all existing colors.
> 
> The original Index was written in the 19th century by Iria Almeida, the soulmate of an explorer Francisco Almeida who collected swatches of colors on his travels. It has been updated sporadically until the 1950s. And with modern technology, the Index now has an app version.
> 
> The coding system people use is similar the real world hex codes. So Maine’s #FFFF00 and Richard’s #000000. People in this world know the codes to ROYGBIV + Black and White. They are taught in school.


	20. #C4C3D0

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter happens immediately after the last line of the last chapter.

>   _So, you have two secrets now? And we only left you for an hour. I shudder at the thought that as soon as we will let you talk to each other, you will probably develop a secret code that would alienate everyone who will be working with both of you._
> 
> _I promise to answer her question, Ate Pat. How will she know I’ve fulfilled it if she didn’t hear my answer?_
> 
> _She heard it. I did too. Now stop texting and go back to the meeting!_

“Yes?” Sam raised his eyebrow.

"I’m not breaking any rules," was his explanation and Sam didn’t pry.

The meeting was already underway when he got back. They had his schedule for August projected and his manager was blocking off dates.  A lot of dates.

They barely gave him a glance. Everyone was paying attention to his manager as he explained the meaning of the different boxes. The boxes with horizontal stripes (the stripes are in a shade of red are for _Eat Bulaga_ and other TV appearances. Then the vertical stripes (he thinks the stripes are green) are for shootings and tapings. The solid boxes (blue or maybe purple) are for rehearsals. The polka-dotted boxes (definitely blue) are for workshops.

"As you can see, Alden will start attending workshops for the film next week."

"That’s a lot of workshops," Jenny Ferre commented. She was taking notes on, from what Richard could make out, a table top calendar.

"Most of them are culinary classes." his manager clarified.

Richard can cook.  He first learned how from his mother then from his grandmother. However, his skills are not at the professional level and the workshops aim to teach him how to act as if he has been working as a chef for years. He remembered that Maine studied Culinary Arts. _It’s unfortunate that I can’t talk to her about it._

He looked at the schedule. Filming for the movie takes place either in the afternoon or early morning. As long as there are no problems with the shoot, he would still be able to do _Eat Bulaga. And I would do everything to make it to every show. I promised Maine that we are a team. I’m not going to leave her hanging._ The exception would be the Bicol shoots.

“I see. I think we would be able to work the storyline out based on this schedule. We already saw Maine’s so it’s just a matter of coordinating them.” Jenny addressed her comment to the management teams and Richard saw both teams nod their agreement. _So there was already a discussion before I arrived._

“Now, Alden and Maine. Can you tell us what you talked about?” Antonio Tuviera looked at Richard then at the Polycom system.

Richard took the initiative. “Maine?”

“You do it.”

“Alright. Maine and I agreed that we will see what the offers are and we are willing to give them a try.”

“Everything that is being offered?” someone from the Triple A team asked (Richard made a mental note to introduce himself later)

“I think, Sir, we would need to see the individual offers before we say yes. Right now, Maine and I are just expressing our opinions but we are not giving a blanket ‘yes’.” He hoped he read Maine correctly. They didn’t specifically talk about this.

“Yes, Sir. We need to see exactly what is being proposed.” Maine’s agreement echoed in the room.

“We will iron out the details. Now, Alden, you more or less know how it goes. Maine’s new. She would need a mentor.” Tony looked straight at him when he said this.

Richard nodded and opened his mouth to volunteer but he knew they would reject it. _But there is no harm in trying._

Vic cleared his throat. “That’s taken care of.”

“Tony, you know how we operate,” Joey added.

“Of course. But I think it will also be better if Maine meets the other artists of Triple A. She will work with some of the them in the future. Ram, please take charge.”

“So now that we have a view of the big picture and our tentative direction, I suggest we end the meeting. Let’s reconvene in a week or two.” Felipe Gozon suggested.

No one opposed the suggestion so the meeting was officially adjourned though that didn’t stop the discussion between the different groups of people. Richard wanted to catch TVJ before they leave to ask about Maine’s mentoring program. Unfortunately, he got caught in a discussion with Malou Choa-Fagar and his manager about his _Eat Bulaga_ contract. Once that was done, Jenny approached him to discuss tomorrow’s episode.

“Remember when I asked you about your athletic abilities, Alden? And I told you that one of these days, there will be a physical challenge for _Kalyeserye?_ ”

Richard nodded. He had this conversation last week. Despite his now busy work days, he still tried to keep up with his gym routine (it pays to be prepared). He thought filling the dunk tank with water _was_ the physical challenge.

“Consider this your advance notice, Alden. There’s going to be another physical challenge tomorrow. So, get some sleep. You will need it. Oh, and please come to Broadway earlier. You and Maine are doing a split screen interaction during your performance at the opening of _That’s My Bae_. We already told the choreographer. Then there’s the monthsary part but preparations for that have already been done.” Jenny left him to ponder on that “advance notice.”

Atty. Gozon intercepted him next. “How are you, Alden? We didn’t get a chance to speak today”

“I’m okay, Sir. Though I still need to take everything in.”

“I understand. Even I needed several days to process what was going on and I knew about the data. Changes have been happening rapidly, right? Now, before you go, let me tell you something, not as a boss but as a mentor.”

“What is it, Sir?”

“I look at you today and I see a certain change in you. Before, you look like someone who is trying to find his way. Now, you look like someone who knows the way because you found your North star.”

Richard came home at midnight, clutching a paper bag filled with documents from today’s meeting. He sorted the papers into two piles - those needing immediate attention (like the script for the movie and his new contracts) and those that can be reviewed in the coming days. Then he did his evening routine.

As usual, he thought about how his day went before saying his prayers. He dwelled on Maine’s question. _Which picture is she referring to? She said it was blurry so maybe that was the picture I saw on Tumblr. But she asked if I was a Candy Cutie and I wasn’t in that picture. If we weren’t interrupted, I would have asked her to send the picture to me._

Then his thoughts turned to _Kalyeserye. A physical challenge. Monthsary. Then an interaction during the opening for That’s My Bae. Things are again changing._

 

***

During rehearsals, the floor director and the choreographer gave Richard instructions for his “first production number with Yaya Dub”. At first, one of the _EB Babes,_ the show’s resident dancers stood in for Maine. Then 10 minutes before the rehearsal was over, they tested the feed from the barangay and Maine was shown on the other side of the screen. He managed to say hello. She greeted him back and apologized for the way she looked. She said she hasn’t been through makeup because she got stuck in traffic and arrived at the barangay 10 minutes after the call time..

Richard wanted to tell her that she looked beautiful even without makeup (and even if she’s monochromatic in his eyes). However, the choreographer started to give them instructions for the number. Their interaction was very simple and would last for just a few seconds. He would “tap” Maine’s shoulder then she would look at him. He would ask for a kiss but will be pulled away by the _EB Babes._ That’s it.

As expected, they pulled off the “split-screen production number” without a hitch (they only ran through it once; they were now that good at interacting through the screen). Afterwards, Richard received the expected ribbing from Sam who vowed to support AlDub until the end.

Once _That’s My Bae_ was over, he went back to the hosts’ room to prepare for _Kalyeserye_ . _Bulaga Pa More_ was up next and Ryzza, Ryan, Patricia and Jose are doing last-minute adjustments to their costumes, makeup and props. He could hear shouts from several members of the crew about harnesses and silk cloths.

One of show’s stylist, Colleen, dropped by the hosts’ room to hand Richard his outfit. A plain red shirt and some track pants. She looked at his shoes, said that his current footwear will do and left the room.

He looked at his shoes. They’re for running. _Am I going to be asked to run? I just hope they don’t ask me to finish running an impossible distance within an impossible time limit_. A few minutes later, Jenny and the rest of the writing team came in.

“So, Alden, this week you get to do the EDSA challenge.”

“EDSA challenge?”

***

Richard and Jose watched TVJ and Allan K open the _Juan for All_ segment through the monitor backstage. Frankie was part of the episode today.

“Goodluck, Den.”

“Thanks, Kuya. I hope I make it.”

“Are you sure you can run all the way to EDSA? What if you collapse along the way?” Jose had made his opinion known when he found out what the challenge entailed.

“A team of medics will also follow my progress, Kuya. And it was my choice to run as it is the surest way of getting there. And I could walk if I get tired. I think 3 km is doable.”

“I might have been traumatized from Maine’s experience. I am nervous and I keep on thinking that things can go wrong. Can you imagine if Yaya Dub actually ends up with Frankie?” Jose laughed at the scenario. The floor director then interrupted the conversation to tell Jose that he is about to go on air.

Richard went out of frame and watched Frankie Dubsmash Alden’s signature songs. He couldn’t help but be amused at Maine’s evasion tactics especially when Frankie tried to kiss her (he ended up “kissing” one of Lola’s Rogelios).

_“Frankie is my choice for you, Yaya. He is a kind man. Unlike Alden, who only knows how to sing ‘Dalinay’ and do ‘Twikilay’.”_ She huffed.

Suddenly, the opening bars of _“Fantastic Baby”_ were heard and the camera panned to a number of men with their backs to the audience. They started started dancing to the said music.

When the writers asked him for ideas for the first monthsary, Richard suggested a flash mob. They thought the idea was a good one and they included him in brainstorming the concept. In the end, they decided that every participant would wear a mask of his face. After dancing, the masked men would give Maine roses.

Richard was in position. He was holding a rose in his hand while one of their production assistants was holding the rest of the flowers. _I’m hoping that soon, I would be able to visit the barangay and hand those flowers personally. Right now, I have to pass them through the “split screen”._

_“STOP THIS NONSENSE!”_ Lola Nidora’s nostrils flared and she went on one of her tirades.

_"I am tired, Alden. My blood pressure’s up and my health is deteriorating. And this is all YOUR FAULT.”_

She started pacing. _“So what if you sent us flowers? You think you scored points when you had the men of the barangay dance Twikilay? Well, you’re wrong.”_

Jose joined Richard onscreen. Frankie wanted Lola Nidora to give the challenge already. But before she can, she had a bout of coughing. Richard noticed they weren’t being shown on the screen so he quickly asked Jose if Wally is okay. The panel kept on speculating that Wally’s lines about getting ill are real.

“To be honest, it is possible that he is feeling off. Wally’s as workaholic as you and me.”

Lola Nidora managed to continue after asking for an umbrella and taking deep breaths. She then revealed that the box from yesterday’s episode contained a key. The said key was for an old treasure chest. When he opened it, there was a bundle of firewood.

Lola then explained the challenge. She clarified that she doesn’t need him to chop firewood. Rather, she wanted him to bring that bundle to the Rogelio at EDSA. And he has to complete the task in 20 minutes.

The distance from Broadway Centrum to EDSA-Cubao was around 3 km if one will pass by Aurora Boulevard. During the briefing, they discussed the best way to approach the challenge. While the challenge can be loosely interpreted, as Jenny informed him, he knew that he will have to run for this. Taking the LRT is faster but he isn’t sure about the crowd that would potentially follow him (Broadway Centrum is full today, both inside the studio and outside). Driving is risky too as they told him he won’t have an escort if he chose that method. Plus running with a bundle of wood fits Lola’s _“work hard for it”_ mantra.

It was also made clear during the briefing that the success of the challenge depended on Richard’s ability to reach EDSA in 20 minutes. He admitted to himself that he is unsure if he would be able to finish in the time given but he vowed that he would try. _A failure here would just prolong the story and you don’t want that to happen, RJ._

Before they let Richard start, Lola Nidora showed a scoreboard - “Scoreboard to Tamang Panahon”. She declared that if Alden completes all of her challenges successfully, she would finally give her permission. Yaya Dub and Alden could meet each other. She won’t stand in their way anymore. Silence greeted the announcement (the panel and the audience are still not trusting Lola Nidora).

Once the signal was given, he ran.

As expected, a number of people followed him and for a few minutes, he lost the crew trailing after him. At the designated point, he met up with his escorts who will act as marshals and bodyguards. There was also another filming crew, along with Reeza who was the designated coordinator for the run. They were only carrying action cameras for the live feed. Richard paused for a few seconds, waiting for his companions to get into position and before continuing.

He felt his leg muscles burn halfway through the route so he started to slow down. He was given water to hydrate himself. Richard had forgotten that he was being filmed. His mind was focused on the goal - reaching EDSA in time.

Seventeen minutes later, he was climbing the steps of the pedestrian overpass at the EDSA-Cubao area. As mentioned by Lola Nidora, a Rogelio was waiting for him to receive the bundle of firewood. He was given a baton in exchange. After receiving the baton, he crouched and tried to catch his breath. Reeza then signaled they were off the screen.

“Are you okay, Alden? Do you need a medic?” One of the marshals handed him a bottle of water and started to signal for the medic.

“No, I’m okay. I just need to rest a little. Did I make it?” He looked at Reeza.

“With some time to spare. You will not see the Rogelio if you didn’t.”

He smiled. “Great”.

Richard wasn’t sure what was the reaction to him finishing the challenge so the next time they gave him his cue, he just waved at the camera.

Once the segment was over, he and the crew went back to Broadway by van. Aside from water, they also gave him a granola bar. One of his escorts was a trainer and he gave him several pieces of advice on treating sore muscles, including taking an ice bath. _I’m going to worry about my lungs if I follow that advice. Hopefully the time spent on the gym has helped me. Though right now, my legs just hurt._

***

Richard woke up to minimal pain in his muscles so he was able to continue his scheduled Sunday activities without any problems. He just finished another meeting with his manager regarding his filming schedule and the recording contract being offered by GMA Records. He is still unsure about the offer because he doesn’t consider himself a singer.

When he reached the parking lot, he was surprised to see his father’s car parked on his spot. His father was waiting next to the car.

“Dad? What are you doing here? Is there something wrong?”

His father was grinning. He then opened the door to the driver’s side and withdrew a small white envelope used for greeting cards.  “Nothing’s wrong. At least I don’t think so. Now, from your face, I take it you haven’t checked your phone.

“No, I was too busy to…” He found several messages from both Mama Ten and Direk Pat. He opened the messages from Direk Pat first.

 

 

 

> _Alden, I was supposed to give you something but I wasn’t able to catch you at Broadway yesterday. It’s from Meng. She said it was her promise to you. I agreed to her request because I trust you both. I know that you are not outrightly violating the rules. She also made me promise to deliver this before Monday so I’m going to drop by the SPS studio later._

 

 

 

 

> _Den, you didn’t reply to my text and call so I contacted Mama Ten. I’ll leave it with her._
> 
>  

Richard checked his call log. He did receive a call from Direk Pat that morning. From the timestamp he was probably in the middle of rehearsals. The last time he checked his phone was before the given time. And the missed call notification wasn’t seen due to the flood of notifications Richard received. Usually, he gets less social media notifications on Sundays. However, since it was the 16th, fans have been celebrating AlDub’s monthsary and his notifications are again at the hundreds. He even read a few tweets when he last checked his phone and was stunned at the messages of support (there were bashers too but by now, he has learned to ignore them).

He then read Mama Ten’s message.

 

 

 

> RJ, I left the envelope Pat brought over with your Dad. You were so insistent on making sure that I leave immediately after the show that you prevented me from talking about Pat. She explicitly said you should receive it before Monday. And she can’t tell me why because, she is following orders too.

 

He took the envelope from his father. “I was on my way home, Dad. You didn’t need to pick me up.”

“You know what they say about curiosity, RJ. I really wanted to open that envelope. I had to do something to distract me from opening it. Driving seemed the best option.”

Richard examined the envelope. It was sealed. With the exception of _“for your eyes only”_ written on the flap, there were no identifying marks. He was also curious. _Why would Maine say that this envelope is something that she promised? Why did she insist that I get it before Monday?_

His father helpfully provided a pair of scissors. Richard couldn’t believe how prepared his father was so he gave him a look. His father just smiled at him. He opened the envelope. There was a note and a photo paper inside. He took the note out first.

 

 

> _Alden,_
> 
>  
> 
> _I realized that there is a possibility that you haven’t seen the picture I was referring to yesterday. So, here’s the copy. I asked Ate Pat to give it to you before Monday because it’s only a matter of time before this goes viral._
> 
>  
> 
> _-Maine_
> 
>  
> 
> _P.S Good job on the challenge!_

 

He then pulled the photo paper out and turned it over. The picture’s blurry but he could clearly see what is in the picture. _Proof_.

He was so focused on the picture that he didn’t notice his Father standing next to him until he spoke. “There you have it, RJ. I told you so. Maine’s _her_. Your Cinderella.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That blurred picture of A & M at the 2010 Candy Fair gave me the idea of broken soul bonds.
> 
> "Dalinay" is from "Thinking Out Loud". The first line of the chorus, "(And) Darling, I..." can be misheard as "Dalinay" (da-lin-ai). 
> 
> "Twikilay" is from "Twerk It Like Miley". Similar to the first one, it's from the line, "Start twerking like Miley". Again, the lyrics are misheard as "Twikilay" (twee-ki-lai).
> 
> LRT stands for Light Rail Transit.


	21. #F5F5F5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short update. Also unedited.

He felt someone shaking him gently. He snapped out of his thoughts and saw his father. 

“We’re home.”

Richard spent the last two hours lost in his thoughts. He could vaguely remember getting into his father’s car and buckling his seatbelt. He looked down. His right hand was still clutching the envelope.

_ I met Maine in 2010. _

The photo Maine sent was of them together. The entire picture was blurry. You can’t even see the faces of the people in the picture. Richard was sure though. The gangly teenaged boy in the picture with his arm around the girl’s shoulders was him.

He spent most of the way back to Laguna trying to recall their meeting. He was disappointed that he couldn’t.  _ A few hours ago, I was pretty sure I would have remembered meeting Maine.  _ He shook his head.

“I’m just here if you want to talk about this, RJ.” His father got out of the car. He did too but instead of going in the house, he sat at the bench located in front of their mini garden.

Right now, he wanted to talk to Maine. _There’s just too many questions and too many thoughts._ One small part of his mind tried to stay rational. T _his is still circumstantial evidence._ _Maybe_ _she’s just one of many girls who asked to have their pictures taken with you._

The other part of his mind was loud and clamoring for attention.  _ But look at the circumstances! The coincidences! Fate is rarely lazy. It’s sending you a message, RJ. Try listening to it. _

“I’m listening! But how do I finally confirm what fate seemed to be telling me if I can’t even talk to the person I am fated with?”

“There are other ways.” Richard looked toward the direction of the voice and saw his grandmother leaning against the doorway.

When his mother died, his grandparents became the family’s pillars of strength. With their father barely dealing with a broken soul bond, Richard and his siblings felt orphaned and lost. Richard and his older brother both thought of dropping out of school and looking for work to pay for all of their loans and day-to-day expenses. Their grandparents and their aunt stepped in. Their grandparents sold their house in the city and used the funds to pay for some of the debts while their aunt paid for their tuition. Their grandparents also moved in and Lola Linda helped them put the household back together.

“‘La. I didn’t realize that I’m voicing out my frustration.” He stood up, greeted his grandmother and led her back to the bench.

Lola Linda didn’t speak again. Rather, she waited for Richard to talk. And he did. He told her everything - from the events that led him to meeting Maine on screen, to the events on  _ Eat Bulaga _ and finally to the discovery of the photos from the 2010 Candy Fair.

“So you see, ‘La, the situation has become complicated. I need to talk to Maine about this. Ask for the story behind the picture but I can’t.” He sighed.

“When life gives you extraordinary circumstances, you must also think in an extraordinary way. Let’s go in. It’s rare to see you home early for dinner.”

***

Richard has just finished writing,  _ “nothing of note” _ , for the  _ “other things to note” _ section of his color diary when he was hit by an idea. He rummaged his desk drawer to look for a spare notebook. After finding one, he duplicated what he wrote on his color diary with one change.

> _ Date: August 16, 2015 _
> 
> _ Color Status: Color vision all throughout the day. Had trouble with  _ _ #008000 _
> 
> _ Other things to note (accidents, drastic vision changes, etc): _
> 
>  
> 
> _ Dear Maine, _
> 
> _ If you are reading this, then we’ve finally been granted our “right moment”, our “right time”. We finally talked and hopefully you listened to what I have to say. _
> 
> _ Today, I received your note and your picture. I badly want to talk to you but due to our current circumstances, I can’t without consequences. _
> 
> _ I find it difficult to express how I feel using words (I know how to answer interviews but talking about what I feel difficult). I’ve always preferred actions so I hope you can forgive me for the awkwardness of this letter. _
> 
> _ Going back to the picture you sent, I didn’t expect to see that particular picture when you mentioned it during our conversation. I thought you were referring to another one. _
> 
> _ I have several confessions to make. First, I can’t remember meeting you then. But that is probably due to the fact that I was a nervous wreck at that time. It was my first major job and while I am not yet part of the entertainment industry, I hoped participating at the Candy Fair would finally open some doors. And in a way, it did. _
> 
> _ Second, that day was not just significant because of what it contributed to my portfolio. It was a life-changing because I woke up seeing colors the next day.  _
> 
> _ I didn’t expect that I would meet my soulmate at the Fair. And with the amount of people that I interacted with, I had no idea on who she is.  _
> 
> _ Third, (and I would understand if how you see me will change because of this) I didn’t want a soulmate then. I had a goal - to keep my promise to my Mom on her deathbed. I will fulfill her dreams for me and help the family. Love will just distract me from that goal. I railed at the timing. Why did I have to meet my soulmate when I was just starting on my career? _
> 
> _ Fourth, I am terrified of forming a bond because I know what happens when you lose your soulmate. It’s not just losing the different colors and going back to a monochromatic world. It’s losing half of yourself, no not half. It’s losing your whole self. And I’m afraid that I won’t be able to handle that (I barely coped when  my Mom died). So, even if I knew I have a soulmate, I didn’t exert a lot of effort to look for her. I’d rather give her up than love her and then watch her get taken away. _
> 
> _ Fifth, I’m starting to change my mind. _
> 
> _ -Richard _

***

Richard has never let personal issues and problems interfere with work. He vowed that he would always be a professional. However, his professionalism seems to be always challenged when it comes to his soulmate. 

_ You have to compartmentalize. There are people who are expecting things from you. Remember, the Candy Fair is something that involves RJ and Maine. Eat Bulaga and Kalyeserye is for Alden and Divina. Alden has monochrome vision. _

“You can do this.”

When he got to Broadway, he didn’t let himself have a moment alone (because that just leads to brooding real quick). It was a good thing that Mondays on  _ Eat Bulaga  _ are a bit more hectic than other days. There were extra briefings that discussed the flow of the different segments for the week ( _ Kalyeserye _ is an exception). After the briefings, he went to visit the dressing room of the guests to greet Kristoffer Martin, who was competing on the segment,  _ Bulaga Pa More, VST Pa More. _

Richard considers Kristoffer as his best friend in the industry. They met during the boot camp the network set up for their talents and they ended up rooming together. Kristoffer was a veteran, having been the talent of the rival network prior to his transfer. He knew how the industry worked and he gave Richard, the newbie, pointers. It was during this month-long camp that their friendship formed.

“Alden! Long time no see!” Kristoffer approached him and they exchanged their traditional greeting. The last time Richard saw him was during the last episode of  _ Sunday All Stars,  _ the variety show that  _ Sunday Pinasaya _ replaced.

“Yeah, it’s been a few weeks.”

“Let’s catch up after the show. I don’t have anything on.”

“I can’t. I have a meeting for the film then cooking lessons.”

“And I here I thought I could finally talk to you about the gossip I’ve been hearing around the network.” He gave him a smirk.

“Since when do you listen to gossip, Tuns?”

“I don’t. I go directly to the subject of the gossip. I’m sure the subject will give me an answer since the said subject is my best friend.”

“Whatever you heard, it’s not true.”

“You might want to listen to it first before you issue a denial. And as much as I would like to talk to you about it now, we both have work to do. I have to sing and you have to host and make  _ her _ heart flutter.” He pushed Richard out of the dressing room.

_ What kind of gossip did Tuns hear?  _ Richard has been in the industry for the past five years. He is used to being the subject of gossip. He knew he has a reputation for being serious and private (and good guy overall) and his soulmate status has been speculated on by his fellow actors for years. And, as he accidentally discovered, his name has been on the color status betting pool since the boot camp.

***

Richard’s strategy of compartmentalizing issues succeeded at first. As expected, once she appeared on screen, all the emotions and thoughts related to Maine and that picture returned full force. 

“Why do you look like you just… I don’t know, like you lost something or someone?” The floor director assigned to him that day gave him a questioning glance.

“I just remembered something.” He hastily explained before trying to get back into character. He was glad that he had several minutes before he was supposed to appear.

The episode dealt with the aftermath of the EDSA challenge. While Lola Nidora seemed to accept the results last Saturday, she still tried to convince Maine to give her budding relationship with Alden up.

_ “Because of your shenanigans, my health has deteriorated. Are you still going to choose Alden even if I’m dying?”  _ She then had a coughing fit.

He held up a sign that said, " _ Alden =(" _

_ Please, Maine. Choose me. Even if it’s just for Kalyeserye. Don’t give up. _

 

While Jose, Wally, Paolo and Maine were on their way to visit the lucky winner of the barangay, Richard was given several blank sheets of paper. The writers told him to write what he wanted to say to Yaya Dub and he would show these fan signs during the closing part of the segment. He started writing.

“I like Ate Maine. She’s nice.” He was surprised when Ryzza Mae, one of his youngest co-hosts, sat beside him. She picked up the Mickey Mouse plushie that was on the other seat and started playing with it.

“You met Maine already?”

“Yes, once. Baste and I played with her.”

“Even Baste huh? I’m hurt.”

“Kuya, don’t worry. You’ll meet her soon.” He can hear certainty in Ryzza Mae’s voice as she gave him a hug. That’s what he loves about children. They have unshakeable faith in things.

 

By the time the crew got back for the the closing shots, Ryzza Mae was sleeping on his lap. One of the production assistants offered to take the sleeping child but he told them that he prefers not to wake her (he also thought that Ryzza Mae making a cameo appearance on  _ Kalyeserye _ won’t be a big deal). He held up his fan signs and did a pinky promise using just one hand. 

After the segment is over, he carried Ryzza Mae back to the break room and prepared for the closing segment. He still had the fansigns and before giving them back to the crew (they keep them for reference), he took out a sheet, folded it and placed it between the pages of his movie script. He wanted to keep this one because the message was not for Yaya Dub.

_ Maine, are you my soulmate? _


	22. #C0BEB1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: AU
> 
> If you are interested in the contents of Richard's Screen interview, head over to part 1 of "The Chronicles from the World of Black and White".
> 
>  
> 
> Happy New Year!

Richard attended the table-read for _Perfect Taste_ , the working title of Peter’s film, after _Eat Bulaga_ . The read-through was the first official meeting of the entire cast and crew, including the producers of the film. APT Entertainment is now co-producing the movie so Direk Mike Tuviera was there. The table-read was also the first test for the actors that are part of the film. After the table-read, writers and directors would make necessary adjustments based on how the script sounded. For _Perfect Taste,_ majority of the cast and the production crew have previously worked together in various projects so the read-through went smoothly. Iris made on-the-spot changes to the script which she immediately asked the actors to read.

He, Peter and Iris also met with Chef Rain Medina, the culinary consultant of the film and Richard's tutor. They discussed the story with the chef with Peter explaining how he wants Richard's character to progress. Afterwards, Chef Medina explained the program Richard will undertake. He is taking a customized 85-hour program that aims to let him develop proper cooking skills and train his palate (he is playing someone who has an perfect palate in the film). At the end of his training, he will be immersed in an actual kitchen. He will do scenes with actual kitchen staff members so he has to know how to be part of their team.

He wrote about meeting Chef Medina on his letter for Maine. He also placed the fansign he wrote during _Kalyeserye_ but didn’t show inside the notebook. Somehow writing has helped him deal with the current situation. _Talking to her would still have been preferable but with the “minimal communication” rule from the powers that be, I have to be creative._

He had a jam-packed morning the next day. He had costume fitting for the movie then a photoshoot for _Screen_ , a TV and movie magazine. _Screen_ was running a series of pieces on _Kalyeserye_ and the magazine’s writing team planned to interview everyone involved in the segment.

“It’s good to see you again, Alden.” Grace Santiago, greeted him with an air kiss to his cheek. “It’s been almost a year since your last interview with our magazine.”

“I has been a while, Tita Grace. It’s good to see you too.” Richard led Grace to the van. They were doing the interview while on route to Broadway.

"Now, before I ask questions, let me just say that I am also a fan of AlDub. Your chemistry is palpable...”

 

***

 _Kalyeserye_ introduced a new character, Duhrizz. She is also Lola Nidora’s granddaughter. She lives in New York but came home at the behest of her stressed out grandmother. And like Dora, Wally also plays her. 

_"You’re so selfish, Yaya. You’re here flirting with Alden while Lola is home sick.”_

Duhrizz delivered the line in serious voice and Richard felt a bit guilty. However, that didn’t last because Duhrizz revealed why she wanted Yaya Dub to go home. She wants Alden for herself!

_“Alden, let’s meet after the show. I have this strange feeling about you. Maybe you’re my soulmate.” Duhrizz then gave her best sultry smile coupled with a “pabebe wave”._

Paolo and Allan K were loudest in expressing their disgust at Duhrizz’s antics. Richard was drinking a glass of water at that time so he deliberately spit out some of the water towards the direction of the monitor (the FD had the same idea; she gave him a thumbs up for his action).

 _“Yaya, if Lola dies because you ignored her needs in favor of exchanging ‘Aldub yous’ and Dubsmashes with Alden, I won’t forgive you. So for the last time, stop this._ ” Duhrizz pulled out a letter from her bag. _“Read this.”_

The episode ended at that point. Like everyone watching, Richard was also curious about the letter. It could mean anything if the past episodes are any indication. _It can be a plot point or a red herring. And I may or may not find out about the contents tomorrow morning._

 

“If I wasn’t a fan already, I would definitely be one after seeing this.” Grace and her team watched _Kalyeserye_ from the sidelines. They told him earlier that they plan on including some behind-the-scenes photos for their articles. He also saw Grace talking to the panel before _Juan for All_ started.

“I admit it looked chaotic at first what will all the activity happening beyond the range of the camera. But then I realized that it is organized chaos. And to pull a segment like that off every day for the past month? _Eat Bulaga’s_ crew must be really good at their jobs.”

“Now, let’s talk about the future of _Kalyeserye_? Can you give us any hints on how will the story play out?”

 

***

He started filming his scenes for _Perfect Taste_ early Wednesday morning. He shot several scenes with Jaime Fabregas, who was playing his grandfather. Most of the sequences shot were flashbacks from the time when his character still got along with his grandfather. The shoot ended just a bit over time but luckily the drive from the location to Broadway was manageable. He arrived 30 minutes before _Eat Bulaga’s_ opening and promptly received the notes for  _Kalyeserye._ He read through some of the points while having his makeup done.

 

> _T:15 - Fansign exchange (freeform; on the spot)_
> 
> _Suggested topics: Favorite food, hobbies, messages of concern, etc._

 

“Freeform again, huh?” Richard mumbled to himself. He looked at the mirror. _What would Alden want to know and say to Yaya Dub?_

The answers came easily. His questions and statements were also things he wanted to ask and tell Maine. He started taking notes of the possible messages he could write later.

 

> _What’s your favorite food?_
> 
> _Have you eaten?_
> 
> _Did you miss me?_
> 
> _I always think of you._
> 
> _I wish I could go on a date with you._

 

Then he remembered Lola Linda’s advice. Think of extraordinary ways for extraordinary circumstances. _This is the only time I can communicate with her. How can I use this time so I could gather more clues? Can she see colors? Is her vision like mine?_

People living with color vision are usually more curious about the world. They become more observant. That’s the reason why there are those who believed that people with color vision know if the person they are talking to has color vision too. Richard knew that that is an exaggeration. If you really want to find out the color status of another, you have to put your observations to the test. Richard witnessed some of these “tests” firsthand and has been a recipient of a few of those tests (people in production who have color vision are usually the ones who run tests). He always exhibits mixed results confusing the minds of those running the tests, like the first makeup artist he has worked with.

_Well, I’ll think of ways on how to find her color status out later. Right now, I can only send a message through fan signs. How could I tell her that the messages are not just from Alden to Yaya Dub but from RJ to Maine?_

That’s how he ended up writing  _Alden <3 Maine *pabebe wave* _ on the whiteboard first.

 

 

> _Date: August 19, 2015_
> 
> _Color Status: Color vision all throughout the day. Maine is still black and white._
> 
> _Other things to note (accidents, drastic vision changes, etc):_
> 
>  
> 
> _Dear Maine,_
> 
>  
> 
> _Words are not my strong suit. And it looks like subtlety isn’t. I received several comments from a lot of people regarding my “Alden <3 Maine” sign. I did confuse our audience with that move (have you seen the discussion on Twitter?). I am usually a private person and I prefer to conduct my personal affairs out of the limelight. But I wrote your real name because I wanted to tell you that the messages that I say during Kalyeserye are not just part of the script. And even if some of them are not my own lines, I still mean them. The messages might be on the surface for Yaya Dub but they are more for the woman behind the character (though I hope you lower your expectations of me when we finally meet as I am not as breezy as Alden). I wanted to get to know you. I hope you will always take care of yourself (don’t work to the point of over exhaustion).  I always miss you. I watch replays every Sunday so I could see you. I wish I can finally see you… _

_***_

“So, Alden. Let’s make this clear for the sake of the millions of people watching the show and our studio audience...” Sam paused for dramatic effect. “What is the meaning of that fan sign?” He was holding a printout of the “controversial” fan sign. _That’s My Bae_ was about to end and Sam was again taking the role of an AlDub fan and asking questions. Richard was expecting it. He received a version of the same question yesterday.

Jenny Ferre was surprisingly open-minded after hearing Richard explain why he wanted to call her “Maine” instead of “Yaya Dub” (or even “Divina”). However, she did caution him of the possible consequences of his decision. His motives will be questioned. His personal life might be affected.

“Alden, you are playing a character though that said character straddles the real world and the world of _Kalyeserye_. And with your planned move, you are pulling her towards that line too. You don’t know how she will see it.”

Allan K was blunt with his question. “You’re not acting anymore, are you?”

He was prevented from answering by Joey, “I would love to hear Alden’s answer too, Allan, but let’s not push him for answers today.”

“But--”

“I agree with Joey, Allan. Alden will tell us when he’s ready.” Vic led Allan and Joey back to the break room, leaving Richard still standing on the hallway. No one asked him questions when he finally went back to the hosts’ room so he guessed Joey and Vic asked the rest of the Dabarkads to let him be.

 

“Well, Alden?” Sam again gestured towards the print out he is holding.

“The answer to that is this…” He did a _“pabebe wave”_ and smiled. And by the audience’s reaction, it was enough of an answer.

***

Just like what he wrote on one of his fan signs, he sent sticks of _isaw (thank you to Mama Ten and her connections)_ to the barangay in honor of AlDub’s 5th weeksary. He brought some for the people at Broadway too. Sam called it a bribe to keep them from asking about the fan sign. On _Kalyeserye_ , the sticks of isaw were placed on two heart-shaped boxes and were delivered by the resident riding-in-tandem of the show. In real life, they were delivered in catering trays (Mama Ten showed him a picture as proof that the food reached the barangay).

Maine ate _isaw_ with gusto. Richard kept on staring at her. He was happy to see her enjoying something simple and the floor director had to physically nudge him so he could get start munching his own stick.

Just like last week’s weeksary setup, he was again having a “date”. This time, the picture propped across from him was Lola Nidora’s. He was trying to court Lola Nidora’s approval with this action. Unfortunately, a sick Lola Nidora was more obstinate than a healthy one.

_“You should have done this 5 weeks ago, Alden. If you think I can be won over by a simple date, you are mistaken. Look at me. I’ve suffered a lot. You caused me to incur debt, to break the law, to hide from the police.”_

He tried to apologize using fan signs. To no avail.

 _“I’m not going to listen to you.”_ She went back to her chair, assisted by one of her Rogelios _._ A few minutes later, while he and Maine were exchanging fan signs, Lola Nidora complained of chest pains.

That was the cue for the entrance of the episode’s guest, Dr. Tanning. He was true to his name, proclaiming that nothing can cure Lola Nidora’s illness. She is scheduled to die. After saying those words, he then turned to Maine and placed a pill on her palm. He didn’t release her hand.

That move was unexpected. Richard knew that doctor will talk to Maine, but he didn’t expect Dr. Tanning to be another potential rival. And unlike with Frankie, Maine didn’t exhibit any disgust. She even seemed like she is perfectly fine with the casual day the doctor held her hand. No one in the panel brought up the idea that Dr. Taning and Maine are soulmates. That is because, doctors wear color inhibitors too if they are not bonded. The medical world is even stricter. Doctors cannot not wear color inhibitors whenever they are on duty. If they fail, they face stiff fines and possible malpractice suits.

The staff handed him a doctor’s coat and a stethoscope with instructions to _“Compete. Show Dr. Tanning that you already have an advantage over Yaya’s heart.”_

Their Dubsmash exchange was interrupted by both Lola Nidora and Frankie,who had just arrived. Frankie asked for an update on Lola Nidora’s condition. Richard was a bit grateful that Frankie’s there. He definitely would not allow the so-called doctor to become excessively touchy.  

_“I’m sorry to inform you that Lola Nidora is going to die. She won’t last past 2:30 pm on Saturday.”_

Upon hearing the date and time of Lola’s “death”, Richard knew what was going to happen.

The Yakie wedding will finally push through. Lola Nidora confirmed that when she stated her dying wish. She wanted Yaya to wed Frankie.

And as someone who has fulfilled a loved one’s dying wish, Richard knew that this time, defying Lola Nidora would be harder, if not impossible.


	23. #DCDFE1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta'ed.
> 
> Standard disclaimers apply.

He was right.

 _“Alden, you are a good person - respectful, hard-working, and genuinely nice. I might not approve of the way you pursued Yaya but I don’t hate you. Now, I hope you can grant me this wish…”_ Lola Nidora was pale, shaking and weak. She was only standing with the help of her Rogelios.

_“I want to see Yaya settled with Frankie before I die. Please, Alden. Don’t ruin the wedding on Saturday.” She raised her right pinky and begged him to do the same._

Richard was already crying, but at Lola Nidora’s words, he was transported back to a similar scene of a woman asking her son to swear that he will try to fulfill her dreams. His heart broke all over again. The writers left the decision to Lola Nidora’s request entirely up to him. And he felt torn.

He tried to distance himself from the situation. _RJ, remember that this isn’t real life. Even if you agree to the condition, there might be, no there_ **_will_ ** _be a plot twist on Saturday. Your story will not end here._

His mind knew that _Kalyeserye_ is a show but the situation has triggered a flood of memories. And without an actual script to work on, his emotions were making him hesitate. He didn’t want to give up without doing something. And if he promised not to interfere with the wedding then he was giving up without fighting. He could hear the audience telling him not to agree to the request. Maine looked crestfallen.

Before he can make a decision, Lola Nidora fainted. Her fainting caused a minor wardrobe malfunction that took the drama out of the previous scene and restored the usual atmosphere of _Kalyeserye_.

 

***

There was no filming scheduled that Saturday which turned out to be a good thing as it was raining heavily. Richard was relieved. He woke up feeling off and his monochrome vision didn’t help. _The world looks dull and gloomy and I feel like I’m being smothered by my surroundings._

Since his schedule for the week didn’t allow for any production number rehearsal, he was at Broadway early. The opening for _That’s My Bae_ is more of a mini-fashion show than a full-blown dance number so the choreography was easy to remember. During the breaks in the rehearsals, he made small talk with the _That’s My Bae_ finalists. The segment’s grand finals was scheduled to happen the following week and the finalists were in the thick of preparations for it. Once rehearsals are over, he made his way to the studio’s showers to get ready for the show.

He was not going to stop the wedding.

That’s the first thing Jenny Ferre told him at today’s briefing. He tried to argue. He said Alden is not the type to give up easily so he should be allowed to at least try by leaving Broadway. She then told him that the location of the wedding’s is in Rizal, and with traffic that was aggravated by the weather, he won’t even reach it before the end of the show. And she insisted that he needed to be on the other side of the split screen.

“But, Ms. Jenny --.”

“Alden, sometimes you don’t need to do things by yourself. Help can come from even the most unexpected places, you know.”

_But who exactly will help us in this situation? Frankie’s not going to back out and Lola’s dying._

 

“Aren’t going to wish me luck, RJ? I definitely need it. I am the only non-singer in the bunch”

He didn’t notice Kristoffer stand next to him backstage. To celebrate the grand finals of _Bulaga Pa More VST Pa More,_ a mini-concert featuring Tito, Vic and Joey (who were all members of VST & Co.) was being held. Richard was watching from the monitor near the entrance to the studio.

“Good luck, Tuns.”

“Thanks. I’ll accept that even though it’s not a sincere greeting. I’m here to wish you luck for later. I’m hoping you’ll do something heroic to stop the wedding. I’m rooting for you to succeed.” Richard’s face fell. Luckily, his friend didn’t notice and continued,  “Mama Ten said you’re free before your SPS rehearsal. You still owe me a meal and a conversation.” With a final tap on his shoulder, Kristoffer left him to prepare for his own performance.

_Sorry to disappoint you later, Tuns. I’m more of a damsel today than a prince._

 

***

“There she is! As you can see, Yaya Dub is still getting ready for the wedding.” Paolo and Duhrizz were serving as wedding correspondents. The were providing updates to the preparations of the wedding in between some of _Eat Bulaga_ ’s segments. Richard was barely paying attention to the monitor. He too had changed out of his earlier outfit and is now in a white dress shirt with the sleeves folded up to his elbows and dark jeans folded at the hem (not that he could exactly see what color his shirt was, it looked white). Arvie, one of the makeup artists of the show has just finished retouching his makeup and has left him alone in the dressing room. He was looking at the script and thinking of the possible endings of this episode.

 

“If I ask for a spoiler would you tell me?”

For the second time today, Tuns has pulled him out of his musings. His best friend went in and sat on the sofa at the back of the room. “So, tell me how you’re going to stop the wedding.”

A corner of Richard’s mouth went up. “You just have to find out with everyone later. By the way, I saw your performance. You did great.”

“Yes, but not enough to beat the others. Look at Bryan,” Tuns pointed to Bryan Termulo, the last person to perform. He was popping the balloons that were stuck on his clothes.

“You have a point. Well, there’s always the next time.” Richard has given up studying the script (he’s memorized it) and placed it aside. Both of them watched the rest of Bryan’s performance in silence. Once it was over, the judges were given the signal to vote.

Before the show cut into commercial, they showed more footages of from the wedding venue including glimpses of Maine. The camera focused more on her dress but there was a brief shot of her profile. She was ready.

“RJ, I really think we need to talk today,” Kristoffer commented after staring at him for a few minutes.

 

***

There’s a clock on the screen that’s counting down the remaining minutes of Lola Nidora’s life. Paolo was interviewing Frankie. He asked him if he had some words for Lola Nidora.

_“I would just like to thank Lola Nidora and assure her. She will leave this world knowing that I will take care of Yaya. She might not be my soulmate but in the weeks that I’ve known her, I can say that I have grown to love her and I promise to make her happy.”_

If this was any other wedding, Richard would only feel admiration for the groom. He promised to love his bride even if they are not soulmates. And that is exactly what people are praying for. Sure, everyone has hoped to meet, bond and marry their soulmates but in a world where the odds are more against than in favor of that situation, most are just really looking for a person that will love them and make them happy. However, this isn’t just a wedding of an acquaintance or even a friend.

_“And to Alden? What’s your message?”_

_“Alden, you did well but I’m sorry. Whatever feelings you have for Yaya, set it aside. I promise to double, no... triple…. triple whatever affection you have showered her. I’m sorry but the cute guy has won this time instead of the handsome guy.”_

Some members of the audience have been holding placards that state their objection to the wedding and the camera had been showing some of them while Frankie made his speech.

_“I already love her, Alden. I’m sorry, my friend.”_

Frankie’s words are hitting home. Richard wished Frankie sounded more like he was gloating. But he didn’t (and he wasn’t sure if the delivery was an adlib of Kuya Jose or it was really part of his script).  Instead, he sounded sincere in his promise. He now felt defeated.

Paolo next checked on Maine. She was surrounded by doctors and nurses. The medical team was making sure she won’t faint during the ceremony.

“Yaya’s so sad. But she’s beautiful.”

Richard has to agree. Maine’s beautiful in her wedding dress. But she is still not a happy bride. Her eyes conveyed sorrow. Seeing her just added to the hopelessness he has been feeling. _I don’t want to sit here and watch everything happen._

Lola Nidora interrupted the “farewell Dubsmash” that they were doing.

_“Thank you, Yaya. I’m happy now. I’m happy that I will see you settle down. Today, you’re leaving me. You will start your life with Frankie…”_

Maine went down on her knees to ask Lola Nidora to change her mind. She ignored her.

 _“Alden. You’re a good person. You will make Lola happy if you let the wedding happen. Do you promise not to interfere today?”_ Just like yesterday, she raised her hand for a pinky swear.

And today, he held out his own pinky too, signifying his agreement. The audience couldn’t believe that he caved in.

It’s over. He has officially given up. All that was left was to say farewell.

 _“Thank you, grandchildren. Now, Yaya let’s go to your wedding.”_ At that, Richard fell to his knees.

Soon, the wedding entourage made their way towards the venue. A few minutes later, Richard watch Maine walk down the aisle. He couldn’t take the inaction any longer. He stood up and made up his mind. _I need to stop that wedding._

He rushed towards Broadway’s artist entrance to the cheers of the audience and Allan K. However, he found out that the door was guarded by two of Lola’s Rogelios. He tried to beg them to let him go. They refused. He went back inside the studio and made his way towards the audience entrance where he found more Rogelios. They also refused to let him pass. two of the Rogelios held him by the arm, preventing him from trying the emergency exit of the building.

“Please,” he whispered. “Let me go.” The audience waiting outside were shouting at the Rogelios.

“Sorry, sir. Orders are orders,” one of them whispered back.

There was a monitor across from where the Rogelios are. Richard can hear Lola Nidora asking Frankie to sign the huge check before continuing with the ceremony. The pastor, on the other hand was still talking about love as "the greatest of all”.

Then a montage of previous episodes started playing. Afterwards, the ceremony proper was done. _This can’t be the end._

 

_“By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you, Mr. & Mrs. Arinolli” _

_NO!_ Richard wanted to hit something but his arms are still held by the Rogelios. “Let me go, please. It’s over. They’re already married.” This time, they let him go. He slumped to the floor, all hope lost.

Then Richard glanced at the monitor and he thought something peculiar was happening after the declaration of marriage by the pastor. Lola seemed to regain strength and is now vehemently insisting that Frankie sign the check for Php51,000,500 before he can kiss his new wife. Lola even went as far as putting the check between Frankie and Maine.

 _“Fine! Give me that pen.”_ He started signing but before he could finish, there were sirens and the police entered the venue.

_Help comes from unexpected places. The police are the unexpected help? What use are the police?_

_“Lola! The police are here for you!”_ Frankie proclaimed.

 _“No. My case was already dismissed. They are not here for me.”_ Richard heard Lola’s normal voice, something that he hasn’t in days.

 _“Mr. Pastor E. Pastor, you are hereby under arrest for the charges of estafa and falsification of documents. You have the right to remain silent…”_ The rest of the words were drowned by the sound of the audience inside Broadway, Allan K’s screams and Julia’s, Paolo’s and Frankie’s appeal for clarification.

Richard’s confused too. _From what I understood, Lola Nidora hired a fake pastor. So, does that mean she didn’t really want the wedding to push through?_

The police confirmed that the pastor was a fake. He doesn’t have the authority to marry people.

Richard felt relief. _I still have a chance!_ The audience was cheering too and on the split screen, he can see Maine smiling on the side.

 

Then Julia and Paolo finally noticed how healthy Lola now seemed to be. That lead to the second twist. Lola Nidora’s not sick. She paid the doctors (just like she promised to pay the pastor) to lie.

_“What’s the meaning of this, Lola? Why did you lie? After everything I did for you?”_

_“Yes, Frankie. I masterminded this whole fake wedding. I did it so I could get the money promised in the marriage contract. I needed the money to ransom back my diary.”_

_“I can’t believe you took advantage of me, Lola. I already love Yaya Dub!”_

_“I had no choice. You are the only person with enough money. Did you think I want the wedding to happen?”_

_She DIDN’T want the wedding to happen?_ Richard was now feeling hopeful.

_“Listen to me, Frankie. You might be the richest man in the world but love cannot be bought. True love is something that is nurtured and taken cared of. True love is something worth fighting for. It cannot be imposed. It is freely given.”_

_“So, all this time, you just used me?”_ Frankie is incredulous. Lola did a 180 _. I would be too if I were in his shoes._

 _“I’m sorry, Frankie. I was never sure of your intentions. You say you love her now but you never showed willingness to prove that love.”_ She turned her back on Frankie and faced Maine. _“I’m sorry, Yaya. I was wrong. And Alden--”_ Lola’s message was cut off by celebratory music.

He picked up his clipboard and quickly wrote two messages.

 

 

> _Let’s continue our journey to “forever”._
> 
> _I’ll prove to Lola Nidora that I am worthy. I’ll show her that I am worthy of meeting you._

 

Lola Nidora sent him a message too.

 

 

>   _“I’m sorry, Alden.”_

  
*******

He was looking at Maine’s latest post on Instagram - a picture of her in her wedding dress celebrating (the caption read, “Let us all celebrate.”) while he waited for his best friend who was still in a conversation with Ruby and Sam YG backstage. A few minutes later, Kristoffer appeared at the hosts’ room looking for him.

Once they were on their way, they talked about the recent events happening in their lives. With Richard’s increasingly busy schedule, it was now quite difficult to meet up outside work. Richard, Kristoffer and some of their batchmates in the acting boot camp formed an informal mountain climbing group. They would usually have climbing activities once a month or so to relieve stress. However, Richard has been absent from their activities for the past months.

They ended up going to the same cafe Richard visited with TVJ. They sat themselves on the booth that was across the booth Richard occupied the last time he was there.

“Are you and Maine secretly meeting behind your managements’ backs?”

Richard was glad he wasn’t drinking. He wasn’t sure if he would have choked at that statement.

“That’s the rumor that you heard?”

“Maine was spotted with her management at GMA several weeks ago. Then someone said you were there that day too and that pushed people to speculate that you were both called to a meeting of sorts.”

“Okay, but I don’t see how those two things would lead to ‘regularly meeting secretly’.”

“Oh, that came from an alleged conversation between Leysam and Maine’s handler. Someone saw them waiting outside that wing on the 16th floor where the conference rooms were located. That someone overheard them say that you two are close to getting scolded.”

Richard laughed. _I should have known it was something exaggerated._

“You have to admit, this rumor is more logical than the others. You were called by management because you’ve been secretly meeting.”

“When did rumors ever become logical, Tuns?”

Tuns just shrugged. “So?”

“It was a phone call.”

“You got scolded for a phone call?”

“Of course not. The meeting was for our upcoming projects. We weren’t allowed to see each other even on that meeting so I had to ask for permission to talk to her through a phone call. ”

“So, both of you were in the building. Both of you were in that meeting. And you had to talk over the phone? That’s a bit extreme.”

“It’s not something we could control.” Tuns nodded in understanding.

“Well, the other rumor is more outrageous than this one.”

“What other rumor?”

“The one that said you are soulmates. But that’s impossible, right?”


	24. #C2C5CC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not beta'ed. Grammar mistakes are all mine.

On Sunday, a small nondescript box was delivered to Richard’s Sunday Pinasaya dressing room. The box was placed together with the other gifts from fans. The note simply read, “To Alden Richards”. A text message was also sent to Richard’s phone.

 

> _From: Tuns_
> 
> _Not sure where you’re going to use this, but goodluck!_

 

***

“What other rumor?”

“The one that said you are soulmates. But that’s impossible, right?”

_Where did Tuns hear that rumor? And how did they_ **_know_ ** _?_

“Where did you hear that?” Richard let Tuns hear the irritation in his voice.

“RJ, you know that there are two places where gossip thrives. The network cafeteria and the set. I heard this in both places.”

“Tuns, I think we should finish this conversation elsewhere.” Richard looked around. The cafe has been empty when they arrived but now, more customers are coming in. He had a feeling that perhaps they have been spotted, as they were sitting next to a large window. Tuns also gave the place a look before nodding.

They made it to Kristoffer’s car stopping only once to accede to a request for a selfie with a group of fans at the cafe (he was right; they were spotted). Richard volunteered to drive to GMA.

“And what exactly did you hear, Tuns?” He hasn’t heard anything but then that is usual for the one who was the subject of gossip.

“Someone said that a network executive let it slip that a talent is planning to have his contract re-written because that person found his soulmate. Another person mentioned that some of their contacts from the publishing industry have received inquiries related to a soulmate search. Those contacts said that it was someone from GMA.Then someone also mentioned hearing a similar story from some event organizers and photographers.”

Richard remained calm. He knew Leysam’s and Mama Ten’s inquiries would be noticed sooner or later. “So, someone is searching for a soulmate.”

“Then you wrote that fan sign. The _‘Alden heart Maine’_ one. By then, there were those ‘secretly meeting rumors’. So, according to the conversation I overheard at the cafeteria yesterday, you met secretly, discovered you’re soulmates and used the fan sign to declare it.” Tuns drank his coffee.

“I laughed and almost butted in. The rumor’s just too over the top. I mean, if they really know you, it’s obvious you haven’t met her. Do you even watch the replays? You look at her with such longing---”

“Tuns, I need your help.”

“Sure. What about?” They’ve reached the studio’s basement and Richard had already found an empty spot.

Richard turned off the engine and handed the keys to his friend before answering. “To find out if the rumor is true. If she’s my soulmate. Thanks for the ride, Tuns.” He opened the door and got off the car. He could hear Tuns calling him to come back and explain what he just said.

 

***

He didn’t open the package until he was back home after another long day of TV appearances, shoots and workshops. These days, all of his days are long. He wasn’t complaining, though. He knew that doing his job makes a lot of people happy. Yesterday’s _Kalyeserye_ episode accumulated 2.5 M tweets for the hashtag, _ALDUBAgainstALLODDS_ and today, the fans trended the hashtag _EBThankYouforALDUB_.

Inside the box was a suit jacket with ¾ sleeves. Richard looked at it closely. The jacket had web-like patterns. _Hmmm. I think I can use this. But first, I need to see if Lola Linda still has a seamstress friend that can alter this jacket._

***

Halfway through rehearsals, Richard noticed Kristoffer sitting on one of the audience chairs. A few of his co-workers (both cast and crew) would talk to him but mostly, he just sat, watched and occasionally checked his phone. Tuns caught his eye. He pointed at his phone.

On his next break, Richard took out his phone and opened Tun’s messages.

 

> Sent: 16:03 
> 
> _RICHARD FAULKERSON JR! WHAT KIND OF PRANK IS THIS? YOU CAN’T JUST LEAVE AFTER THAT STATEMENT._
> 
> Sent: 16:05
> 
> _I NEED AN EXPLANATION! What you said doesn’t make sense._
> 
> Sent: 16:06
> 
> _You already have a soulmate._
> 
> Sent:16:08
> 
> _You can definitely see colors. You told me that story. SO, HOW?_
> 
> Sent: 16:20
> 
> _I’m still at the parking lot. Speculating. Damn it, Faulkerson._
> 
> Sent: 16:24
> 
> _HOW CAN I HELP YOU IF YOU DON’T TELL ME THE WHOLE STORY?_
> 
> Sent: 16:25
> 
> _This is going to bug me for days. TALK._
> 
> Sent: 16:48
> 
> _THAT’S IT. I’M CRASHING YOUR REHEARSAL._
> 
> Sent: 16:50
> 
> _You are going to tell me the story. TODAY._

 

He went to where Tuns was sitting and tried to make excuses.

“You can’t get out of it, Faulkerson. I’m going to wait.”

“But-”

“No buts.”

 

***

Richard insisted they take his van so neither of them will drive. Mama Ten rode shotgun while they sat at the back of the van.

“So, what’s the story? Didn’t you meet your soulmate in 2010?” Richard told Tuns the story a few years ago.

“Yes, I met her five years ago.”

“So, how can the rumor that you and Maine are soulmates be true?”

“I met her five years ago.”

“You said that already. You met your soulmate five years ago so why do you want to find out if Maine’s your soulmate?”

“You are not listening, Tuns. I. met. her. five. years. ago.”

Kristoffer's eyes went wide. He turned to Richard. “Just so we are clear, you met Maine five years ago?”

“Yes.”

“How did you find out?”

Richard explained. He talked about his recent bouts of erratic vision, his visit to his doctor and Project Cinderella. He then mentioned the pictures he found on social media. _(“RJ, you are becoming social-media savvy.”)_

“You found a blurry picture of Maine at the Candy Fair in 2010. If you think about it, it’s very likely that you met her there, even if it was by accident.”

“I already know I met her there.” Richard opened his bag to take his iPad. He removed it from its case, revealing a photograph placed inside the case. He handed it to Tuns.

“Woah. How is this picture not viral yet?”

“Luck, I guess. I am hoping no one posts this online.”

“Did you remember meeting her once you saw this picture?” He gave it back.

Richard shook his head.

“What’s do you want to do then?”

 

***

Monday, Richard was up at an ungodly hour in order to be at a restaurant in Quezon City at 7:30 am for his culinary classes. Some of the cooking sequences were scheduled for this week so aside from his normal culinary classes in the evening, Chef Medina gave him extra time for practical work. He was to practice the recipes that will be featured in the movie.

Three hours later, he was satisfied with the results. There were a few mishaps but overall, he was able to cook the dishes without a teacher constantly checking on every step for errors. Chef Medina told him that his techniques have greatly improved and the dish was close to how she prepared it.

He bought the meal he cooked to _Eat Bulaga_ (to the delight of everyone). It was a good thing that he was full from tasting all the different dishes prepared by Chef Medina as he had a full schedule on the show. Aside from _Kalyeserye_ and _That’s My Bae_ , he was also tasked to be one of the judges for _Bulaga Pa More Cheerdance Pa More_ so there wasn’t enough time to sit down and eat lunch.

 

Lola Nidora was back to her old self, which meant she was still pissed off at him.

_“Alden! Things are still not okay, do you understand? I’m not just going to give you permission to meet Yaya just because I rejected Frankie.”_ She gave him a gimlet eye.

_“You need to prove your sincerity. And you have to prove it to me.”_

Richard quickly wrote, _“How?”_ on his clipboard.

_“Finish my challenges. Impress me.”_

He nodded. _I’ll finish the tasks. Anything just to finally have that “right moment” with Maine._

 

Someone else was also back.

_“100 million? And where will I get that amount? I can’t even pay your original ransom and now you’re doubling it? You’re insane.”_

Lola was still desperate to get her diary back. She begged Frankie to help her, but he was still furious about the fake wedding. He was indifferent to her pleas so Lola Nidora tried asking Vic for a loan.

_“Bossing. I need to get that diary back. He already said he posted some of the secrets of the diary on social media. And he will continue to do so if I don’t pay up.”_

The “secrets” Lola Nidora referred to were her pictures with world leaders like Hitler and Kennedy. Richard remembered an episode where Lola Nidora said Hitler was interested in her. _That was during the first week, I think. Before Maine saw me on the screen._

 

Frankie, on the other hand, was leaving. While he blamed Lola Nidora, he was apologetic towards Maine.

“ _Yaya, I didn’t mean to cause problems between you and Alden. I admit, I was tempted by the amount that was stated in the marriage contract. And because Lola assured me that you’re unattached, I accepted her offer. I’m sorry. Maybe one day, I’ll meet the right person for me. And Alden, I wish you the best. I hope you’ll take care of her.”_

 

***

 

> _Date: August 24, 2015_
> 
> _Color status: Color vision until 17:00. Took 30 minutes before vision became monochrome. MM still B &W. _
> 
>  
> 
> _Dear Maine,_
> 
> _So, “cotton kenji”, huh? That made me laugh. You always make me laugh. I think it’s your smile. It’s very contagious._
> 
> _Did you know that Ate Pat laughed at me (or at least sent a message with ‘Hahaha’) when I told her that I am sending you another box of candies?_
> 
> _Maybe I should have signed the note that came with that first box. Kuya Jose did tell me to do that but I didn’t want to come across as some stalker. But now that I think about it, you might still see me as one since I’ve been asking your co-workers about you. ^^::_
> 
> _Richard_

 

*******

He was back at the restaurant the next day for another round of cooking. The dishes that he had to prepare were more complicated (two main, one pasta). This time, Chef Medina commended his knife skills (He was glad he managed to correctly fillet the salmon and carve the meat without the knife slipping from his hands).

When he got to Broadway, he didn’t expect the Dabarkads to ask him if he has any dishes that he brought for them to taste. They again gave positive reviews on his dishes and even told him to consider using his newly acquired skills for future endeavors (like opening a restaurant or a catering business).

Afterwards he started to prepare for _That’s My Bae_. The show’s stylists has given him several shirts and jackets to choose from. Because colors are useless for 70% of the population, most of the time, clothes are chosen based on how well patterns - florals, prints, stripes, checks, dots, geometric patterns, bold patterns - go together. Embellishments like appliqués are also popular. Clothes are also matched based on the texture of the fabric. Richard would often lean towards clothes in solid colors but there are times when he would wear shirts with weird patterns (it confuses those who try to pin his color status with his clothing choices). For today’s show, he chose a black shirt with gold vertical stripes broken in the middle by three horizontal stripes. They also handed him a bomber jacket with a black collar and cuffs. The upper half of the jacket is white while the lower half is blue grey.

After _That’s My Bae,_ where he dodged the question on whether he sent a box of candies to Maine by doing his standard _pabebe_ wave, he rushed through his lunch break because he had to host _Bulaga Pa More Cheerdance Pa More_ with Julia. He has worked with the actresses competing today so the segment writers told him to add some trivia while introducing them. As soon as the segment was over, he prepped for _Kalyeserye_ (which meant he went through the list of songs for the day).

The title of their script is _“A New Chapter”_ and he thought it was fitting. The writers told Richard that a new character will be introduced to replace Frankie. And he wondered if Jose will play it as well. Lola Nidora will also start issuing challenges again. They also informed him that his absences for the week were already written in.

“Oh, and since you both improvised on the ‘candy question’, we’ve also written that in as part of your plan to woo Lola Nidora.”

 

Lola Tidora is the name of the new character. She’s Lola Nidora’s twin who was born first but is considered as younger than Nidora because of the belief that the older twin gives way to the younger so they could be born first. She is also the prettier and the more liberal twin. She thinks Lola Nidora is rather old-fashioned. Instead of Jose playing the part, the character was portrayed by Paolo who used his makeup skills to transform himself into someone who resembles Lola Nidora. Everyone in the studio was amazed when they saw him.

“Kuya Pao’s awesome.” Richard was looking at the monitor watching the banter between Lola Nidora and Lola Tidora. He was currently offscreen.

“He is. I heard he was informed about the character just last night.” Charm (one of their writers) shared. “They’re about to do the _pabebe_ Dubsmash, Alden. You’re back on screen after Lola Tidora finished showing the leaked diary pictures.”

Richard then noticed Baste, the youngest cast member of the show waving at him. He waved back. Usually, he would play with Baste in between segments and Baste calls him “bestfriend”. Baste told him he wanted to meet Yaya Dub. So, on the next Dubsmash exchange, he beckoned Baste so he will be seen by Maine. When Maine saw Baste on screen, she acted like she was pinching Baste’s rosy cheeks.

Baste’s unexpected appearance though prompted Lola Nidora to accuse him of having a child. He denied it while looking towards the crew for help. _I didn’t think about the possible implications of Baste’s appearance._ Charm whispered “Nephew. We’ll just think of his backstory later.” He wrote that down and quickly showed his answer to Lola Nidora.

Lola Nidora accepted his explanation. However, the appearance of her sister has placed her in even a darker mood. When the riding-in-tandem delivered a jar of candies to Lola Nidora, she said that the gift wasn’t enough.

_“Alden, you didn’t make a lot of effort in getting this gift for me. I want to see you work hard to obtain the gift that you are going to give me. If you are sending me candies, I want those that can be found in my hometown.”_

Richard didn’t understand at first. _Lola’s hometown? She never mentioned that on air._

_“I want to have candies from Bicol. Get me candies with pili nuts.”_ _Ah, Lola’s talking about Kuya Wally’s hometown. And that’s how the writers explain my absence tomorrow._

Richard nodded to show his agreement. He also wrote it down so he can show it to Lola Nidora.

_“And I want you to bring me those candies as soon as possible.”_

 

After the horns that signify the end of _Kalyeserye_ were heard (the cliffhanger was not about his task; it was about another of Lola Nidora’s secret), he and Maine still exchanged Dubsmashes and fan signs. He was able to ask her if she liked the candies he has sent. He also answered the question she asked yesterday. He finally admitted that he sent the first box.

The writers met with Richard after the show to talk about the next episode of _Kalyeserye_.

“Alden, we need you to film yourself getting to Bicol and buying those gifts. We will leave the details to you.”

“Okay, I can do that. And I have to send those videos before _Kalyeserye, right?”_

“Yes. Would you be able to send it before 1 pm? We will deal with Lola Nidora’s secret first so you have some leeway.”

Richard thought of his schedule. He would be able to get the pili candies before heading to the location of the shoot.

“Okay. I can do that.”

“Now, about the weeksary episode…”


	25. #F0FFFF

Richard took the first flight of the day to Legazpi with Mama Ten and Leysam. The crew was already on location. They had to do establishing shots. Some of his co-actors were arriving later. The call time for him is at noon. The first location for the shoot is the market so he could go buy the candies first. Before going inside the airport, he asked Sam to film him with his messages for Lola Nidora using a camera. They also filmed his arrival.  

They were met at the airport by the film’s location manager. As soon as they boarded the car, Richard asked if they could stop for some souvenir shopping before going to the designated location.

“Of course. You should know Alden that we watch  _ Kalyeserye.  _ We know that you have to buy pili candies.”

Just like their location manager, the people at the market knew why he was there. Having a shop owners who were also  _ Kalyeserye _ fans was an advantage as Richard was overwhelmed by the variety of sweets made with pili nuts. He didn’t exactly know what sort of candies Lola Nidora (or Wally) wanted. And he didn’t want to disappoint. So he was extremely grateful to the different owners for suggesting some of their best-selling items. He ended up buying several baskets of delicacies from three shops.

Richard was also looking for a souvenir for Maine. He wanted to give her something. Preferably something in her favorite “color”.

“Manang, do you have that a hat that’s in FFFF00?” He could see from the display that they don’t have hats in that color but he still asked in case they have one stored somewhere.

The shop owner consulted her inventory list. “Sorry, Sir but that code is not on our list.”

_ Just my luck.  _ “That’s too bad.” He stared at the hats and pointed to the pink one. “That one looks nice. What is the code for that color?” He asked. Usually, there would be labels attached to clothes that provide the hex code of the color and its equivalent name. He was hoping hats have those too.

The shop owner picked up the hat and looked at the tag. “Says here it’s ‘fuchsia’, two Fs, two zeros and two Fs. You made a great choice, hijo. She would look good on this.”

He paid for all of his purchases and thanked the owner for help. He then checked the video that they got. Luckily, the footage taken was good enough for the purpose of  _ Kalyeserye.  _ He immediately sent it to  _ Eat Bulaga _ .

_ *** _

> _ “They say that you have a perfect palate. That you can recreate a dish after tasting it once. Well, prove it if you want to learn the story of the recipes you are looking for.” She then placed a familiar dish on the table. “This one.” _
> 
> _ Alejandro “Alex” Sebastian, world-famous chef and one of the few people in the world who has a perfect palate got to work. He examined the dish. It looked like one of Bicol’s traditional dish, laing. He knew how to cook that dish. However, he could not rely on his knowledge of the ingredients and the technique to cook the dish. _
> 
> _ “This is a taste test,” Alex thought. “I have to prove that I can recreate a dish based on taste alone.” _
> 
> _ He tasted it. Savored the flavor of the dish. Coconut milk. Coconut cream. Bagoong. Pork. Shrimp. Taro leaves. Siling labuyo. Garlic. Onion. Ginger. The leaves are shredded by hand. And this one was cooked in a clay pot over a wooden stove. _
> 
> _ “Alright. Where is the nearest market?” _

 

“Cut!”

Richard let his face relax. After their stopover at the market, they went to the location of the shoot - a heritage house near the center of town that also doubles as a restaurant that specializes in Bicolano cuisine. Alex’s search for the recipes used at a banquet his grandfather once attended would lead him to a restaurant in Bicol and the house of the owner’s grandmother. He smiled at his co-star, Carmelita Ortiz (she’s actually the local food historian/chef and the real owner of the house/restaurant) and praised her. She told him before they started that she was a bit nervous so he wanted to assure Lola Meling that she is doing well.

Once Peter exclaimed satisfaction on the scene they just finished, the production crew started preparing the next scene.

“Now, Alden we will film this you preparing and cooking the dish first. We will do one continuous take on that. Don’t worry if you make some cooking mistakes since we will edit the scene to incorporate the close-up shots of your hands. Once the dish is cooked, we will do the close-up shots.”

For the next six hours, Lola Meling’s spacious traditional kitchen was filled with cooking odors and the sounds of filmmaking.

 

> _ Alex placed his finished dish in front of Dona Mercedes for inspection. He had to impress her. Failure is not an option.  _
> 
> _ She inspected the dish first before tasting.  _
> 
> _ “How is it, Ma’am?” _
> 
> _ Silence. Dona Mercedes ate a few more bites. _
> 
> _ Alex started to get nervous. “Has my palate failed me?” he thought. _
> 
> _ Finally, she looked at his eyes. “You really are talented. You managed to recreate the dish. However, there is still one thing I need to see.” _
> 
> _ “Ha?” _
> 
> _ “Your dishes are technically perfect but they are highly impersonal. I need to see your soul.” _
> 
>  
> 
> ***

Richard was exhausted. His arms ached and his back hurt. He just wanted to slump on his hotel bed and sleep for a couple hours but he still had a few things to do. He was scheduled to arrive in Manila tomorrow morning but  _ Eat Bulaga’s  _ creative team thought he won’t have time for a proper briefing for  _ Kalyeserye _ because of the scheduled morning rehearsal for the grand finals of  _ That’s My Bae.  _ To address that, Jenny and her writing team promised to email the brief for  _ Kalyeserye _ . They also told him that the team will also send instructions regarding the “gifts”for Lola Nidora (the crew can’t just buy a second set).

The brief contained details that he was unfamiliar with so he visited  _ Eat Bulaga’s _ Facebook page for the replay of the day’s episode. He found out that Maine was also absent but a video of her Dubsmashing Lola Nidora’s famous lines was shown.

From the episode, Richard had a feeling that Paolo is going to be a permanent part of  _ Kalyeserye _ . And from the hints dropped by Lola Nidora and Lola Tidora about the existence of a third sister, the permanent inclusion of Jose to the cast is also pretty certain.  _ I should get Kuya Wally to tell me the story when I see him. It sounded like he and Kuya Paolo “suggested” the third sister storyline. _

He was also surprised at the revelation/cliffhanger. Yaya Dub and Lola Nidora are blood-related. She is the daughter of Lola Nidora’s sister, her triplet.  _ Lola Nidora’s family tree is starting to become like the family trees on soaps. _

***

Luck was on his side that Thursday. His flight back home landed on time. Richard and his team (Mama Ten and Leysam) were met by Pat and Oreo at the airport. Pat immediately asked for the pili candies.  _ Juan For All _ was on location at San Jose, Paombong, Bulacan and the drive to the location area can take up to two hours (that is, if traffic cooperates).

Richard handed Pat three packages. “The smaller one’s a souvenir for Maine. Please give it to her.”

“I’ll take care of it. What about the other two? Which one’s for  _ Kalyeserye? _ ”

“This is for Lola Nidora. That one is for all of you at the barangay.”

“Wow. Thank you, Alden.” Oreo was picking up the packages.

After some last-minute instructions on the packaging of his gift, Pat and Oreo headed for the parking lot. Richard granted a few requests for selfies from airport employees and from fans before leaving. He then made his way to Broadway and reported for rehearsals.

After his other hosting duties, Richard went to the gazebo (one of their sets for  _ Kalyeserye _ ) to prepare for the weeksary episode. He arranged the rose petals on the floor to form _“Aldub You”_ while one of their production assistants placed roses around the gazebo. From the corner of his eye, he saw Theiy, their social media manager taking a video of his work. He was also given last minute instructions before the segment.

 

Richard was a bit disappointed when Jose made his entrance on the show as himself. He was pretty certain that Lola Nidora’s missing sister who is also the supposed real mother of Yaya Dub will be played by Jose. So, he expected to see him wearing an outfit identical to Lola Nidora. From the comments of Tito, Joey and Ryan, they too were expecting the same thing. They did find out something about the missing sister. Her name is Tinidora.

Lola Nidora’s reaction to his gifts was a bit lukewarm. She even commented that Alden might have wished for her to seek a dentist or a doctor after consuming his gifts.  _ Perhaps I did go overboard with the amount of caramelized pili nuts. Maybe I should have added something else too.  _ He found it really difficult to second-guess Lola Nidora.

On the other hand, he couldn’t keep the happiness and the kilig off his face at Maine’s reaction to his gifts and at her fan signs. That resulted to the panel teasing both of them and putting them on the spot with Ryan asking, “What exactly did that fan sign exchange mean?” Even Lola Nidora went out of character so Wally can join in the fun.

Richard could only hide behind the pillow he was holding. (Aside from the roses and the souvenir from Bicol, he also gave her a pillow with his face on the pillowcase. His pillow had Maine’s face. A third one was given to Lola Nidora; the pillow had her own face.) He knew he was blushing. He peeked at the monitor and saw Maine hiding behind her pillow too.

Wally went back to being Lola Nidora once they all realized that they won’t get any answer from him (or Maine).

_ “Alden, I have to admit, you know how to make a girl’s heart skip a beat. And I acknowledge your effort and I thank you for the gifts. However, I would have wanted to see you go the extra mile. You could have bought something else from Bicol for me. _

_ You know what I want right now? Laing and pinangat. Now, if you can go back to Bicol to buy these dishes,  I would appreciate it.” _

He nodded.  _ Easy. I just have to make sure that the food won’t get spoiled. _

_ “Once you bought them, bring them to me. And I want you to personally deliver them.” _

That surprised him. The audience started screaming.  _ Does that mean what I think it means? _

_ “After you deliver them, I’ll taste them to see if they are authentic. If they pass, we will proceed with the next challenge.” _

 

***

Richard saw Ryan, Tito and Joey outside the hosts’ room. They were talking to Jenny. 

"There are days where spontaneity can give birth to brilliant ideas. Some days though spontaneity can cause complications. Like today.” she remarked.

“But it made the show more interesting.” Joey insisted.

“Even Wally was affected.” She noticed Richard. “He wasn’t supposed to ask you for laing and pinangat for Saturday.”

“That’s why he changed his line when I asked him when is Alden supposed to deliver those dishes.” Tito commented.

“Well, I don’t have a choice now. It’s now part of the show.” Jenny left to talk to the rest of the writing team.

 

“So, Alden?”

“Yes, Kuya Ry?” Richard looked at Ryan and waited.

“We will all be here once you are ready to talk.” He then turned to the other two. “I think so too.”

After that statement, the three went inside the hosts’ room leaving Richard to wonder what Ryan meant.

 

***

He saw Direk Pat at Broadway later that afternoon.

“Rehearsals done?”

He nodded. “We have a packed show on Saturday, Ate Pat.”

“We were just talking about the that at the meeting.” She then took out small piece of paper from the case of her phone and handed it to him.

“See you on Saturday, Den. Oh, and Jenny was looking for you. I think she’s going to discuss Saturday’s  _ Kalyeserye  _ episode. She’s with Wally at the conference room.”

He tucked the piece of paper inside his wallet before heading to the conference room.

 

He was on his way to the airport when he finally unfolded the paper. 

> _ Thank you. This shade of pink is nice too =) - M _

It was Maine’s reply to the note he stuck on the hat. 

> _ I wanted to get one in your favorite color but they don’t make in that shade. Hope you still like it. - R _

 

On the plane, He kept thinking about Maine’s answer.  _ There’s something about her words… _

 

***

The next morning, he and Lola Meling were shooting the market scene where Alex buys the ingredients for his _laing_. During one of the breaks he asked his co-star for advice on where to buy the best _laing_ and _pinangat_.(He can't just buy any ordinary _laing_ and _pinangat_. It has to be the best.)

“Well, according to several food bloggers, the local tourism council and my family, my recipes are one of the best in the region. Unfortunately, you can’t buy them today from my restaurant since we are closed.”

They have rented Lola Meling's restaurant for the duration of the shoot in Bicol (3 days). 

“However, if you come back to the restaurant once you’ve finished for the day, I can cook them for you. We are already at the market and my suppliers are extras on the scenes that we will be doing. I’ll arrange for them to deliver the ingredients. I’ll even let you be my assistant.”

“I don’t know what to say, Lola Meling. You’ve already taught me so much on this film and now…”

“It’s not a big deal. You and Yaya Dub captured the hearts of everyone in this country. I would like to think that somehow, I helped you meet her.”

He gave her a hug. "Thank you, Lola. Once I finally talk to Maine, I'll tell her about you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I borrowed the idea of a chef who can re-create a dish after tasting it once from Yojiro Takita‘s movie ‘Last Recipe – Kirin no Shita no Kioku‘.


	26. #929385

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for sticking with the story.
> 
>  Disclaimer: Fiction. AU.

He was right in assuming that they would have a packed show. It was the grand finals of _That’s My Bae_. As this was his first regular segment for _Eat Bulaga_ , he wanted to do his final tasks for the segment flawlessly. And that included nailing the opening production number (despite the limited practice time) and delivering his spiels well (despite all the “Maine” puns Sam and Julia threw his way).

Now, he was on his way to the location of Lola Nidora’s next challenge and he was mentally reviewing the instructions he received last night and before he left the studio. Richard was worried. He can swim but he has never done so while in a suit. Then there was the five minute limit. And I don’t know what I will be looking for in that pool.

The van he was in was enveloped with the smell of coconut cream. He was blindfolded before he got in the van (and periodic updates will be given so he can’t totally remove the blindfold though he can raise it a bit once the signal is given). At backseat are Lola Nidora’s requests - a dish of _laing_ , a dish of _pinangat_ and a basket of pili candies.

Lola Meling did wait for him even if filming ran late and he asked her not to. They cooked at her private kitchen and Richard learned more cooking techniques. Lola Meling also had a lot of insights on life and Richard shared his own reflections. He felt like he gained another grandparent in Lola Meling.  

The van reached the Amoranto Sports Complex a few minutes ahead of schedule so their drive parked the van a few meters away from where they were supposed to make their entrance to wait. The staff did not give him an in-ear monitor so he couldn’t hear what was being said on air. The camera crew though was getting ready so he assumed that he has to make his entrance soon.

He was able to navigate the path with the help of the Rogelios (he has clumsy moments and he knew he could have tripped on his way to the pool). Once he was positioned, the blindfold was removed. Lola Nidora welcomed him to her “mansion”.

He found out what exactly he had to look for in the pool after she tasted the dishes he bought.

_“These dishes are great Alden but want them to become exceptional. They need a little more… spice.”_ She was handed a basket full of _siling labuyo_. She started walking around the pool.

_“Can you see this?”_ He nodded. The cylindrical box had a string of siling labuyo taped to it. Lola Nidora tossed one in the pool. _“One.”_

She threw three boxes in total. _“Retrieve the boxes, Alden. Bring them to me. You have to do it in five minutes.”_

A Rogelio handed him a pair of goggles. He took off his shoes and socks, removed his jacket, untucked his dress shirt and unbuttoned the cuffs and the first two buttons. Before he dove into the pool, he reassured Maine that he could swim. He also declared that he is accepting the challenge for both their sake.

He found the first box easily. However, swimming 50 m in order to deliver the box to Lola Nidora was exhausting. His arms started to tire before he even reached the halfway point so he changed swimming tactics.

Lola Nidora told him that a minute and a half had already passed once she received the box. That spurned him on. Unfortunately, locating the other two boxes was much more difficult. The size of the pool finally sunk in and he started to panic. Lola Nidora probably noticed so she (or rather Wally) threw him a lifeline by subtly hinting at the the area he should be searching at.

Once he found the second box, he realized that receiving the hint had a consequence - Lola Nidora didn’t stay put. She made him chase her for a few seconds before giving in. _Shit. I have to make it_. He dove for the third box.

The challenge went down the wire. Lola Nidora was already preparing to gloat when he finally found the last box. She started to jog towards the other end of the pool. Richard realized he won’t make it if he swims so he got off the pool and ran. He reached her with seconds to spare (he found out later that his official time was 4 minutes 52 seconds).

Even the crew who were with them cheered when he completed the task. His muscles were screaming at him and he had to catch his breath but he was extremely happy at what he was able to accomplish. Lola Nidora temporarily went out of character to whisper Wally’s congratulations while she was acting like a mother hen. From the monitor, he could hear the cheers of the audience.

_“Congratulations, Alden. You’ve proven your conviction and your determination. Soulbonds are destined but there are times when you will feel overwhelmed. You will feel that problems are weighing your both down. When that day comes, I hope you remember this day where you didn’t let the force of the water beat what you feel for Yaya. Love overcomes distances and oceans.”_ She then wrote _“2”_ on the “Scoreboard to Tamang Panahon”.

After the show was finished and the crew was packing up, Richard handed Wally a note.

“It’s from a _Kalyeserye_ fan,” he explained.

Wally opened the note and read the contents. “Carmelita Ortiz personally prepared the laing and pinangat? You didn’t just go to a store to buy them?”

“I was lucky enough to work with Lola Meling on the film. I was only asking for her recommendation but she told me that she was volunteering her services. She said she is rooting for AlDub,” he explained. He was still in shock at Lola Meling's generosity.

“She said on her note that she added something special to the dish and that you helped.”

“I was just there to help prepare the ingredients, Kuya Wally.”

“Wow. Who would’ve thought AlDub will have that kind of effect. Do you know that the amount of people asking me for selfies has increased?”

“I still can’t wrap my mind on what made people love our segment.” Richard thought of all the people at their filming locations who wanted a picture, an autograph or a handshake.

“It’s your eyes, Den. When you and Maine look at each other, we all see magic. And that’s just over the split screen. Imagine what we will see if you finally meet.”

***

  
“I now understand the hardships you endure every day just to become Lola Nidora. And I thought being Frankie was already hard,” Jose told Wally.

Richard, Jose and Wally were all on a break from Sunday Pinasaya rehearsals and they were just comparing notes on the recent developments on Kalyeserye.

“Alden, I haven’t apologized for sending you on that extra errand. Sorry I got carried away.”

“It worked out in the end, Kuya Wally.”

“What did you do to the rest of the dishes?” Jose wondered.

“We all ate it. Well, except for Alden here who said he is staying away from anything with coconut cream for the rest of the month.”

“If you’ve spent two days cooking different versions of _laing_ , you would too.”

“Does that mean, you were the one who cooked the dishes you brought today?” Jose wanted to know.

“No, but according to the best cook in Bicol, he knows how to cook laing the Bicolano way. Alden has taken Lola Nidora’s lesson on ‘going the extra mile’ to heart.” Wally teased.

Richard couldn’t deny that. He had taken that lesson seriously. Since the segment started, he has been taking all of Lola Nidora’s words of wisdom seriously.

“In that case, maybe Lola Nidora should next set a cooking challenge for Alden,” Jose suggested. Wally did a thumbs up to indicate agreement.

Richard knew they were still teasing but he decided to humor them.

“Well, if Alden has to do a cooking challenge, what dishes would he prepare?”

“Comfort food.” Jose answered instantly. And the three of them started sharing the dishes that would always remind them of home and of family.

“Aside from street food, Haw Haw, Mik Mik, Koko Krunch, ramen and laksa, what food does Maine like eating? I mean something that can be prepared in a cooking challenge?” Richard watched Wally and Jose exchanged a meaningful glance.

“You always end up asking something about Meng whenever we have these type of conversations,” Jose casually commented.

"And since we like you and trust you, we will continue to give you answers," Wally added.

***

After _Sunday Pinasaya_ , Richard had to meet with his manager to discuss his September schedule. The revised version he received had several surprises.

“There are two patterns for endorsement shoots? What does that mean?”

Richard rarely saw boxes with diagonal stripes on his schedule but he knew that it is used to indicate endorsement shoots. And the legend at the bottom of the page confirmed that. However, according to the legend, the reverse diagonal stripe pattern also meant endorsements.

“Because of your unique setup, all AlDub endorsement shoots are split. The reverse diagonal stripes are Maine’s. I’ve talked to Ram and the rest of Maine’s management team.”

On some days, the shoots were scheduled on the same day separated by several hours. On other days, either he or Maine was scheduled first. Even if I know here shooting schedule, they made sure I won’t be able to meet her either by being sneaky or by chance.

"You will also see that your culinary classes are cut short. Chef Medina, Direk Peter, and I already discussed how you can maximize the remaining hours so that you can still deliver what is necessary."

“I could still do the classes---” he started to insist. He hated it whenever he caused inconvenience.

“You could if you don’t sleep. And Alden, you need to sleep.” His manager gave him a look that told him the decision is already final.

“You also have _Bulaga Pa More_ rehearsals this week.” Richard was told that _Eat Bulaga’s_ audience has voted for him to return on the wildcard round of _Bulaga Pa More_ , which will be held on Saturday. He already knew what he wanted to change from his original performance.

“Finally, regarding management. We are still discussing with AAA but just a heads up, we will renegotiate your talent management contract with Artist Center so we can properly handle any projects offered to you and Maine.”

He didn’t expect that statement. When he asked his manager about the effects of a change in soulbond status to his contract (that part of the rumor that Tuns heard was true), he was told not to worry because there is already a set procedure that would amend the current contract. There was no mention of doing renegotiations.

Richard knew that having two different management teams makes his partnership with Maine difficult especially with the Artist Center’s policy on co-managing a talent with someone who is not affiliated with the talent agency.

That night, Richard reviewed his current contract and read the stipulations. _If Artist Center is talking with AAA, then are they going to enter into some agreement so they can jointly manage all AlDub activities?_

He also pulled out the half-finished _Soul Quest_ form from his drawer. _I need to bring this up during the discussion_.

A knock interrupted interrupted his review. He opened the door and Lola Linda came in. She was holding over her arm the jacket sent he asked from Tuns.

They found that jacket at a garage sale a few years ago. They were on their way to meet some friends from the mountaineering group when the jacket caught both of their attention. Tuns was interested on the patterns adorning the jacket. He said it reminded him of open Japanese umbrellas. Richard noticed the color first. He hasn’t seen that many colors in a jacket before.

The jacket was being sold for Php500. According to the girl manning the store, the jacket was originally from a fashion house in Japan and it was practically brand new (she showed that the jacket still has tags). Her sister bought it there for sentimental reasons but now, she wanted to get rid of it.

Richard tried to dissuade Tuns from buying it (he said it was overpriced for a secondhand item). It didn’t work.

“Where will you wear that jacket, Tuns?” He continued the discussion once they were out of earshot.

“I don’t know yet. Think this will look good on TV? Or maybe on dates?”

“Ask the stylists. Some of them might say it’s good. Some will think you’re crazy. However, I don’t think you should wear it on the first date or during situations where you are meeting new people.”

“Why?”

“Because if you meet your soulmate on those situations, you’ll both end up getting a barrage of colors. Most of those will be from that jacket alone. It can get overwhelming. You could get migraines.”

“YOU HAVE A--”

“Shhh! I’m going to explain. Just don’t shout.”

 

_Look at me now, ignoring my on this jacket. I don’t blame Tuns from laughing at me when I told him I wanted it. He even told me to reimburse his 500-peso investment._

  
“RJ, are you sure you want to wear this on TV?” Lola Linda handed him the jacket so he could try it on.

  
“You did say ‘La that I should think out of the box. This can help me answer a few questions.”

  
Lola Linda’s seamstress friend was able to alter the jacket to fit him. He tried it on and checked his appearance on the mirror. He can see how the vibrant colors and geometric patterns contrast with his black v-neck shirt. _Hmmm… It’s not as bad as I think it would be._

  
_Well, RJ, it’s time to find the answers to your questions. Time to stop stalling and wallowing in “what-ifs”._


End file.
